Categoría: Leather

Stop the confusion. Only leather is leather.

Original content by: One4Leather

Leather Naturally reports that Cotance is calling on the European Commission to regulate the use of the term leather. It says that people are confused by non-leather materials appropriating the word ‘leather’ in a misleading way. At the same time, Leather Naturally welcomes at least a small step in the right direction: the European Council of Ministers approved an Italian decree protecting the term. This will impose a ban on the use of Italian terms for ‘leather’ to identify materials not derived from animals.

The issue of misleading leather labelling is a source of much frustration in the leather industry. COTANCE estimates the loss of business to European tanners due to these practices to be 1.7 billion euros per year – or about 20% of the sector’s yearly turnover.

While the industry welcomes healthy competition, it does not seem fair that manufacturers of synthetic alternatives to leather can get away with mislabelling them – especially as a recent report by FILK demonstrated that no single ‘leather alternative’ matches all of leather’s characteristics.

Other sectors such as textiles have successfully achieved legal protection at an EU level for particular product names. But when it comes to leather, EU consumers have no such blanket protection when purchasing articles sold as leather. As with the recent Italian initiative, some individual countries (e.g., Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Lithuania and Spain) have addressed the issue at a national level, but generally, legislation remains fragmented – which invites abuse by smart (unscrupulous) operators.

Isn’t it time the European Commission acted to prevent duplication of national efforts by creating a level playing field for all players in the industry?

You can read the original post HERE.

Splenda Leather bets on solar energy in its production plant

At Splenda Leather, faithful to our permanent commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility in the production process, we have made a significant commitment to self-consumption of energy at our production plant in Igualada (Barcelona).

Together with Grupo IONSE, we have installed a photovoltaic solar plant for self-consumption of 84.15 kWp, with a total of 153 solar modules of 550 Wp each. In this way, in addition to achieving significant savings in network consumption, we will avoid the emission of 28 tons of CO2 per year.

More information HERE

 

Photo & video: Grupo IONSE

Inflation triggers exports of semi-finished and tanned leather

Original post by: Lederpiel

During the first quarter of 2023, the value of Spanish exports of semi-tanned and tanned leather continues at record levels due to the high inflation suffered in recent months. For their part, foreign sales of raw hides again fell below 10%.

In this way, according to data from the General Directorate of Customs, between January and March of this year, compared to the same period in 2022, exports of raw hides fell by 10.9% (4.7 million euros less) , while those of semi-tanned leather shot up 37.1% (6.9 million euros more) and those of tanned leather increased 12.9% (13 million euros more).

When comparing the first quarter of 2023 with that of 2019, prior to the covid-19 pandemic, sales of raw hides fell by 12.5%, while semi-tanned leather increased by 94.9% and tanned, 27%.

Imports
Regarding imports of fur and leather, between January and March 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, purchases abroad of raw hides increased by 10.3% (1.8 million euros more); the import of semi-tanned leather, 8.2% (2.2 million euros more) and, finally, those of tanned leather, 8.1% (5.3 million euros more).

In relation to January-March 2019, sales of raw hides grew by 51.1% and semi-tanned leather by 28.1%, while those of tanned leather fell by 14%.

Consequently, the trade balance for leather in the first quarter of 2023 showed an imbalance in general terms in favor of exports of 56.2 million euros.

You can read the original post HERE.

Exports of semi-tanned and finished leather start 2023 with increases

Original content by: Lederpiel

Exports from the Spanish tanning industry began the year with significant increases in the subsectors of processed and semi-tanned leather. If 2022 closed setting foreign sales records not seen in decades, this year looks equally good, or better, for exporting companies in the sector.

Thus, according to data from the General Directorate of Customs, in January 2023 compared to the same month in 2022, exports of raw hides fell by 8.2% (1 million euros less), while those of semi-tanned leather shot up 24% (1.5 million euros more) and those of tanned leather increased 22.6% (6.5 million euros more).

When comparing the first month of 2023 with January of 2020, prior to the covid-19 pandemic, sales of raw hides fell by 24.1%, while semi-tanned leather increased by 45.3% and tanned, 21.1%.

Imports

Regarding imports of hides and leather, in January 2023 compared to 2022, purchases abroad of raw hides fell by 15.4% (0.8 million euros less); imports of semi-tanned leather, 16% (1.4 million euros less) and, finally, those of tanned leather increased 12.1% (2.5 million euros more).

Compared to January 2020, sales of raw hides decreased by 37.5% and semi-tanned leather by 20.7%, while those of tanned leather increased by 14.8%.

Consequently, the trade balance for leather in January 2023 showed an imbalance in general terms in favor of exports of 19.3 million euros.

You can read the original post HERE.

Towards a Zero Impact of the tanning industry in Europe

Original content by: Lederpiel

The Confederation of National Associations of Tanners of the European Community (Cotance) and the European union IndustriALL organized in mid-April in Valencia the conference Towards a Zero Impact of the Tanning Industry in Europe. With this meeting, the aim was to share different business and labor strategies to make the tanning industry a more sustainable and respectful sector with the health and safety of its workers. Among other topics, those attending the conference spoke about how to reduce the carbon footprint, as well as actions aimed at minimizing the accident rate in workplaces. During the day, a couple of visits were also made to two Spanish tanneries.

The event was attended by, among other actors from the tanning industry, representatives of Cotance such as Manuel Ríos and Gustavo González-Quijano; Carmen Arias, general secretary of the European Confederation of the Footwear Industry (CEC), and Anna García, director of the Spanish tanning employers’ association Acexpiel, as well as members of the IndustriALL and UGT-FICA unions and the European Safety Agency and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).

You can read the original post HERE

Industry celebrates World Leather Day 2023

Original content by: International Leather Maker

The industry came together on April 26 to celebrate the second-ever World Leather Day, organised by Leather Naturally and the Leather Working Group (LWG). Launched in 2022, this day is an opportunity for the industry to unite in celebrating leather as a material and spread messaging on its unique advantages across many industries.

In the words of the organisers: “There are many complicated messages about how to live more sustainably, but leather is not complicated. Simply put, without it, around 10 million tonnes would go to landfill».

“In a world where we are trying to do more with less, keep waste to a minimum, and where we have the expertise and the technology to turn this by-product into a versatile, long-lasting material we have a responsibility to do just that.”

Longevity is a highlight of the celebrations this year, and Leather Naturally noted how our global environmental impact can be reduced by buying fewer things and choosing those that last a long time. This year, World Leather Day celebrated the long-lasting beauty of leather and its place in the circular economy.

To get involved today on social media, you can use the hashtags #WorldLeatherDay and #WorldLeatherDay2023, tag Leather Naturally and Leather Working Group and direct visitors to their websites to learn more about the leather industry.

You can read the original post HERE

Water use and leather production

Original content by: Real Leather

The tanning industry is often regarded as one with very high water consumption because historically, it has been. But great strides have been taken to change this, and still many companies are striving to do better.

The benefits of using less water for tanning can be more than just the obvious. They can also mean fewer chemicals are needed, which, of course, will reduce the amount of residual chemicals and pollutants that need to be treated.

The treatment of water is also key. If the water that is used is cleaned well enough, it can be returned to the environment meaning that any losses are marginal – the water can be reused by the tannery or to irrigate crops.

The Sustainable Leather Foundation

The Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) is one of the organisations working hard to assess water use by tanners in order to work to reduce it. There are 32 tanneries across the world who are SLF partners, and their water use falls well under the benchmark that was established to measure it.

There is a whole raft of measures tanners are taking to lower their water consumption.

  • Reducing the number of washing processes for each hide
  • Using fresh hides which do not need salt removal
  • Using more efficient machinery
  • Reusing and recycling water
  • Reducing chemical use or using biodegradable chemicals

Processes have been refined so much recently that the amount of water used has reduced by 35% in the last 25 years. And, with the reuse of water and the refining of techniques, that reduction is continuing.

You can read the original post HERE

Leather also has a role to play in the fight against deforestation

Original content by: Lederpiel

How many cows are killed to make a luxury bag? The correct answer is none.

According to a latest report from the NGO World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), leather is entirely a by-product of the meat and dairy industries. Consequently, leather manufacturers are crucial players in stopping the deforestation of forests. This study supports and acknowledges the need to use leather as a by-product and also clearly demonstrates the importance of considering full life cycle analysis of leather.

«Leather is one of the oldest forms of recycling known. There are many benefits to using leather as a by-product of livestock production», WWF explains in its report. «Leather also has a role to play in fighting deforestation». However, the NGO points out that the leather industry can play a leading role in the fight against deforestation of our forests, mainly by pressuring ranchers to engage in sustainable grazing and livestock practices. The sale of raw hides can be an economic incentive for farmers. For this reason, according to the WWF, the tanners should use their influence over them to put pressure on them and thus prevent them from continuing to destroy natural ecosystems for the intensive farming of cattle herds.

«Leather is an important by-product of livestock production with a rich history. Its durability and position as a luxury item make it a highly desirable material for consumers. The increase in meat consumption globally means that hides will continue to exist on the market and, if not used for leather, they are often wasted, creating methane while sitting in a landfill», the WWF report concludes. «The leather industry has an opportunity to intensify and strengthen its efforts to eliminate deforestation and improve the beef supply chain through the additional income that hide sales bring to producers. Companies that purchase leather can use their influence to drive change and accelerate the protection of habitats at risk», warns the study. «Leather also has a role to play in the fight against deforestation».

You can download the study HERE

And you can read the original post HERE

Spanish hides and leather exports confirm their recovery in 2022

Original content by: Lederpiel

2022 was undoubtedly the year of the recovery of exports from the tanning industry in Spain. Foreign sales of leather and hides closed 2022 with a significant increase compared to 2021 and before the pandemic in 2019. In this way, the recovery of foreign sales of all subsectors (processed leather, semi-tanned leather and raw hides), marking an export record not reached in decades by the Spanish sector.

According to data from the General Directorate of Customs, in 2022 compared to 2021, exports of raw hides grew by 2.5% (3.9 million euros more), those of semi-tanned hides shot up by 14.9% (9.5 million euros more) and those of tanned hides increased by 24.8% (84.3 million euros more).

If we compare the accumulated figures for 2022 with those of 2019, prior to the covid-19 pandemic, sales of raw hides increased by 5.3%, while semi-tanned hides increased by 28.9% and those of tanned hides, 13.4%.

Imports

Regarding imports of hides and leather, in 2022 compared to 2021, purchases abroad of raw hides increased by 33.6% (18.6 million euros more); the import of semi-tanned hides, 41.4% (34.7 million euros more) and, finally, those of tanned hides, 33.3% (73 million euros more).

In relation to the accumulated figures for 2019, sales of raw hides increased by 39.1% and semi-tanned hides by 22.5%, while those of tanned hides decreased by 6.2%.

Consequently, the trade balance for leather in 2022 showed an imbalance in general terms in favor of exports of 167.8 million euros.

You can read the original post HERE.

The health of the tanning sector is strong and the future is hopeful

Original content by: La Conceria

Let’s start with a summary of the numbers: “The 1,161 exhibitors at Lineapelle 101,” reads a note, “from 42 countries (61.7 percent Italian, 38.3 per cent foreign), welcomed more than 22,000 buyers and trade professionals to their stands. In other words, “42 percent more than the previous edition dedicated to summer collections (February 2022), 6 percent more than the winter edition (September 2022).” This would be enough, then, to share that this edition, which came in the midst of a complex and slow economic situation, was “energetic and superstimulating.”

Splenda Leather in Milan

Splenda Leather has participated in this new edition of Lineapelle Fair. Undoubtedly one of the most relevant events in the sector and one that we have attended for many years.

This has been a highly positive edition. Once the global health emergency is over, we have once again been able to hold numerous meetings with suppliers and customers and we have been able to perceive first-hand the new imminent trends in our sector. And, above all, we have come back with a conclusion: the health of our sector is strong and the future hopeful.

Energetic, superstimulating

“It was supposed to be the edition of the complete return to the pre-pandemic dimension and which, as its slogan stated, set itself the goal of making tomorrow bloom,” Lineapelle writes. So, it did.” Dedicated to the 2024 summer season and held February 21-23, 2023, at Fieramilano Rho, the 101st edition of the show “closed under the banner of great energy and a series of stylistic and business stimuli, which were confirmed by the high turnout of buyers and the quality of the networking work carried out at the fair. A result of great positivity confirmed by the fast-growing numbers, which consolidate its role as the only global reference show for the fashion, luxury and design supply chain.”

Renewed internationality

At the test of Lineapelle 101 (the fair that closed the train of exhibition events organized by the associations involved in Confindustria Moda) was the leather supply chain, which, after the great suffering of the pandemic, found a fair that had returned to its pre-Covid dimension. Here, then, was the hoped-for “return to pre-pandemic internationality,” with 41 per cent of visitors arriving from abroad and a particular brilliance on the part of visitors from Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, as far as Europe is concerned. Solid presence of Turkish operators, while from Asia very interesting and reassuring were the entries of Japanese and Korean buyers, along with the initial return of Chinese.”

Market Sensations

In terms of business, “Lineapelle 101 intercepted a complex economic phase, slowed down-after a positive 2022-by a series of factors (from the war in Ukraine to the inflationary trend) that, according to exhibitors’ statements, could nevertheless begin to unblock the market between the end of the first and the beginning of the second quarter, thanks also to the reopening of China.”

You can read the original post HERE.