Leather Naturally

A new global study on the lifecycle assessment (LCA) of the modern cow leather industry has found that the farming stage (upstream) significantly contributes to the impact of five among six categories, and that that the values for several parameters were much lower than previously indicated.

The detrimental environmental impact of bovine leather has been reduced by a significant 60% on the just updated Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI), Leather Working Group and Leather Naturally have announced.

Each stakeholder in the leather industry, be it the tanner, trader, supplier or customer must get involved to get leather to a safe place in the mind of new younger consumers, and throughout the supply network involved. There are no impossible hurdles for a determined leather industry to make great strides quickly and set an achievable target date with milestones.

Blackwashed much, leather is standing up as a material which is irrefutably a by-product of food production and could well be a waste on a huge scale of a natural material which instead is turned into something useful for society.

The Leather Manifesto was a call to action not just for the COP27 delegates themselves, but for all in the space of sustainable materials production.  As a natural material that is long-lasting, can be repaired or repurposed and at end of life will biodegrade, leather needs to be part of wider discussions towards a circular economy. This industry will continue to push the point that it can be part of the climate solution.

As the leather industry grapples with the question of how it can sustainably play its part to meet ambitious climate and other targets set at a global scale, it is imperative that individual companies in the supply chain focus their efforts in a way that is highly localised to their specific circumstances.

Textile Exchange (TE) has accepted the official ISO 15115 definition of leather, and manufacturers, brands and retailers must make it incumbent on themselves to educate consumers the difference between genuine leather and faux leather, PU leather, mushroom leather, pineapple leather, or any other plant-based leather which cannot be categorised as 'leather'. So, what does industry think?

A 'Leather Manifesto' has exhorted the COP27 to recognise the cyclical, climate-efficient characteristics of leather and other natural fibres. It also urged the COP27 to understand the implications of the huge amounts of raw material of leather production, hides and skins, that are currently being thrown away.

Textile Exchange has defined "leather" as an entity. The definition assumes significance in the backdrop of many companies using the "leather" suffix to identify their own alternative materials.

The focus at the century-old, family-run Royal Smit & Zoon is on bio-based chemistry, reducing usage of water, shortening leather-making processes, optimising waste stream. The emphasis is to support a society where nothing is wasted, everything can be re-used and ultimately recycled. The second and final part of the interview with Egbert Dikkers, Global Director ESG.