Month: August 2022

Content published by: ChooseRealLeather

Leather industry organisations from across the world have called on the UN Climate Change Conference Forum 2026 (COP26), which will be held in Glasgow, to recognise the role that leather and other natural fibres can play in tackling climate change. The Leather and Hide Council of America (L&HCA) and Leather Naturally from the UK are among the organisations that have adopted a manifesto campaigning for a natural fibre route to sustainability.

The document highlights the role natural materials can play to limit climate impacts of consumer materials, especially when compared to synthetic, fossil fuel-based competitor materials.

Leather Manifesto

The manifesto states: “The world needs materials that are sustainable, renewable, readily disposable and most importantly, do not add to the burden of atmospheric carbon.

“Natural fibres, such as leather, cotton, wool, mohair, alpaca, silk, hemp and mycelium, are part of the biogenic carbon cycle and as such are comprised of carbon that has been in the atmosphere for a millennia.”

“These readily available raw materials, when ethically and properly produced, are an important replacement for fossil fuels, reducing the need for its extraction and retaining more carbon in the ground.”

Biodegradable Solution

“Furthermore, at the end of life, properly produced natural materials will biodegrade, limiting their impact and mitigating harmful emissions, such as microplastic pollution, associated with the synthetic materials that they replace”. Read the full text of the manifesto here.

You can access the original post HERE.

Content published by: LederPiel

The future of the European textile, apparel, leather and footwear industries (known by the acronym TCLF) is inevitably going to be increasingly green and digital. This was the main conclusion reached at the meeting held on July 4 in Brussels (Belgium) between representatives of the European employers’ associations for footwear (CEC), tanning (Cotance), textiles (Euratex) and the European union IndustriAll with members of the European Commission.

The meeting resulted in a joint declaration requesting more aid from the European Union so that the TCLF sectors can be “more resilient, sustainable and digital” and be able to “promote sustainable production and consumption in the internal market of Europe”. The goal is to ensure that by 2030 all textile, footwear and leather products marketed in the European Union are “durable and recyclable”. In addition, this strategy includes new design requirements for textile and leather products, clearer product information and a digital product passport, all of which are measures to address the green transition and discourage the destruction of unsold or returned items.

For their part, the TCLF consortium partners asked the European Commission for more funding, legal incentives and support to help the European textile, footwear and leather sectors decarbonise their production and become more circular, as well as initiatives to ensure that workers have adequate training for the future.

For his part, the general secretary of Cotance, Gustavo González-Quijano, points out that “leather is the best example of a circular economy product, since it is the result of recycling an unavoidable waste from meat production. In doing so, European tanners create wealth and jobs for the entire value chain. The green transition? It is our DNA! And leather can and will be even more sustainable, but this must be done hand in hand with our regulators and stakeholders.”

You can access the original post HERE.