A Future for Leather!
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Abstract
The leather industry has a number of critical challenges to address, among which increasing its declining market shares and its appeal to consumers, influenced by the attacks of activist organisations promoting lifestyles such as veganism that is expanding in western societies. Livestock breeders and packers must react to accusations of poor animal welfare practices while tanners must redress the image of a polluting industry and fight against fake news about the health and safety credentials of their product. The perception of leather in the general public must be improved at a time when its identity is free-ridden by alternative materials. Its sustainability credentials must be emphasized and publicised.
Leather is not a sunset industry. Europe’s tanners have stepped up efforts to dispel that myth.
With landmark projects developed in Social Dialogue addressing the social and environmental credentials of the European Leather Industry, focusing on education & training and promoting jobs in tanneries at all ages, pointing at the key objectives for the tanning industry of the future and streamlining due diligence for healthy workplaces in the Leather industry, COTANCE has set in motion a process of improvement of the image of Europe’s leather sector in the public perception. And, in terms of industrial strategy, European tanners have clearly focused on strengthening the identity of leather, defending the term against free riders, and in engaging in a sustainability strategy with the definition of the rules for calculating the environmental footprint of leather and its role in the circular economy.
Is associative action as such going to secure a future for leather? It needs more than that and above all a thriving tanning industry. But leather industry associations can have an impact by playing a crucial role in structuring the industry’s governance and overcoming its intrinsic weakness: the fragmentation of the sector. Working for the future of leather is the responsibility of all the actors in the sectoral value chain and associations are the best instruments for uniting efforts and reinforcing the action.
Leather is not a sunset industry. Europe’s tanners have stepped up efforts to dispel that myth.
With landmark projects developed in Social Dialogue addressing the social and environmental credentials of the European Leather Industry, focusing on education & training and promoting jobs in tanneries at all ages, pointing at the key objectives for the tanning industry of the future and streamlining due diligence for healthy workplaces in the Leather industry, COTANCE has set in motion a process of improvement of the image of Europe’s leather sector in the public perception. And, in terms of industrial strategy, European tanners have clearly focused on strengthening the identity of leather, defending the term against free riders, and in engaging in a sustainability strategy with the definition of the rules for calculating the environmental footprint of leather and its role in the circular economy.
Is associative action as such going to secure a future for leather? It needs more than that and above all a thriving tanning industry. But leather industry associations can have an impact by playing a crucial role in structuring the industry’s governance and overcoming its intrinsic weakness: the fragmentation of the sector. Working for the future of leather is the responsibility of all the actors in the sectoral value chain and associations are the best instruments for uniting efforts and reinforcing the action.
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