Leather

The Taiwanese leather sector dates back to more than 70 years and it was in the 1990s that the tanneries began to relocate and set up factories in Thailand, Vietnam, Mainland China and other Southeast Asian countries. Today it produces about 45-60 million square feet of leather per month, exporting almost 98% to some of the best-known footwear makers. Thomas CJ Yu, President of the Taiwanese International Leather Association (TILA) in conversation with texfash.com.

Brexit in the UK has caused major issues with sourcing labour, added regulatory and import/export burdens, increased input costs and reduced customer confidence. Dr Kerry Senior, Director, Leather UK, a membership-based trade organisation with the remit to represent, promote and protect the leather industry, elaborates.

The mission of the Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) is to support the global leather industry to learn, to improve and to protect the planet for future generations. Towards this objective its latest offering is the Partner Profiles and QR Codes which link up the SLF and a company’s website, and the company’s Transparency Dashboard. In a brief conversation with texfash.com, Deborah Taylor, Managing Director at SLF elaborates on the initiatives.

In the first truly holistic approach to sustainability for the entire leather value chain, the Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) has come up with a dynamically linked Partner Profiles and QR Codes which directly link up an individual company’s own website, the SLF website and the company’s personal Transparency Dashboard. texfash.com reports.

A novel bio-based approach to obtaining sheets of regenerated leather has been developed by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) that separates, categorises and recycles post-consumer leather products.

The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia has urged designers and industry which values high performance leather such as premium soccer boots and heavy-duty sports to embrace kangaroo leather.

Among the top ten foreign exchange earners for the country, the Indian leather, leather products and footwear industry has been identified as one among the 12 Focus Sectors by the Indian government to help the country emerge as a global supplier by tapping into its inherent strengths. However, leather players, mostly small or medium scale enterprises, continue to be besieged by a host of issues. A SWOT analysis.

The Leather & Hide Council of America (L&HCA) — a new voice has emerged for the leather industry in the US and around the world. Stephen M. Sothmann, the L&HCA President, talks about the agenda set as he seeks to promote the quality of US-sourced products, establish and promote best practices in leather production, and set new international standards in sustainability and traceability, and to promote those values to stakeholders around the world.

The Leather Working Group (LWG) has launched the biggest lifecycle assessment (LCA) study for the leather industry to investigate the environmental impact of leather made in LWG-certified facilities. The project will be carried out by Milan-based sustainability consultancy Spin360.