This kind of rhetoric is often heard when people talk about desirable bags, shoes, saddles, jackets, sofas… They must own them, they “can’t live without them”, but of course nobody would actually die for them.

Now, whether people “live or die” for leather or not, certain activist groups claim that “every year a billion animals are killed for leather”. Can this be true? The answer is clearly, NO!

But where does that statement come from? Who knows… But the intention behind it is clear; to undermine the good reputation of leather in the belief that it will hurt the meat industry.

However, let’s look at the facts. The vast majority of leathers comes from hides and skins of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs (as people can find out by searching on the Internet). These farm animals are kept because they provide milk and meat for human consumption, and they often graze on land that is not suitable for crops (e.g. steppe, grassland). However, these animals are killed for meat for human nutrition, not for the production of leather. The hide or the skin is just a by-product and thanks to their processing into leather, they do not become waste.
Since cattle are larger than sheep and goats, most leather comes from cattle. According to the WWF, there are 1.6 billion cattle on the planet, and according to the FAO 293 million were slaughtered in 2020.

Still not sure? Cattle weighs anything between 200 to over a 1000 kg. The hide is only 7% of the weight and 1% of the value. What do think happens to the rest of the animal. Does anyone believe that 100s of kg of meat, bones, and offal are thrown away while only the hide is kept for leather? Imagine the waste mountain.

If we want to make the world a better place, we need reliable information. That is information on which we can build an opinion. One thing is irrefutable; Hides & skins are by-products of milk and meat production and it is better to use them as leather than to turn them into waste.

Edited in October 2022 by

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Leather imitations, such so-called ‘vegan leather’ and ‘eco-leather’, are usually made from polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Recently they include plastics incorporating plant-based materials.

As long as these fossil fuel-based derivatives remain cheap, their use will increase, with the associated environmental impacts during their use and at the end of their life. Unlike leather, synthetic polymers are prone to shedding microfibres and do not degrade easily in nature. When disposed of, typically after a short use period, they tend to remain in the environment for a very long time, emitting harmful substances and polluting the environment. A growing amount of microplastics (fragments of plastics less than 5 mm) in marine and freshwaters has been shown by numerous studies(link1, link2).

Are our clothes and footwear also responsible for microplastics?

The most common sources of microplastic pollution are polypropylene in packaging materials and PET used in the manufacture of bottles. PET from plastic bottles is increasingly recycled into clothing and footwear, but recycling after this second lifecycle has not yet been solved.

Animals and people may inhale microparticles or ingest them with food and water. Tiny particles of microplastics have been found in crustaceans and other aquatic life at the very start of the food chain. Scientist analyzed blood samples of healthy adult donors and found microplastic particles in most samples(link3).

Microplastics get into nature when plastic waste breaks down, from tyre abrasion, but also when clothing made of synthetic fibers is washed. The proportion of microplastics from clothing might be small, but it goes straight into wastewater and the environment. Abrasion of plastic soles can also cause microplastic pollution.

So what does microplastic have to do with leather? Leather is the natural alternative to plastic!
Choosing leather in consumer products make them not only more appealing, but helps curb microplastic pollution. Indeed, leather is the result of the recycling of a residue of meat production, it does not cause microplastics shedding and at the end of a very long lifecycle, is capable of biodegrading providing micronutrients for plant growth.

You do a good thing for the planet if you chose leather shoes, leather clothes or bags. You reduce a waste from livestock, support a recycling industry that creates beauty

Edited in June 2022 by

in collaboration with

Some encounters are real experiences; they make us feel good and won’t be forgotten. Among them is the experience of leather. Soft, firm, supple, and strong, leather comes with special sensory properties. It is has an appearance, a smell, a touch, a sound that appeals to our senses.

These sensations, so specific to leather, would not be possible without the transformation of an animal skin into a noble material. Through the tanning process, the skin is transformed into the rot-proof and highly durable material, with many properties we know as leather. This process has always fascinated man. Surrounded by poetry and mystery, it has been the subject of much research so that it could be better understood and improved. This research is the prerogative of tanners, the true alchemists of tanning.

Let’s consider the current processes for tanning leather:

Chrome Tanning:

Thanks to this type of tanning, using chromium III salts, leathers become supple, very resistant to friction and heat, and waterproof, and can be dyed in a wide range of colors. This is why 85% of leathers tanned in the world are chrome tanned.

In recent years, due to the risk of the formation of chromium VI, a skin-sensitising contaminant, chrome tanning has had a bad press. However, this is only an issue in poorly made leather. The risk can be well managed by the implementation of measures and controls to ensure consumer safety, as is the case in Europe. This is enforced by the restriction on chromium VI in leather, implemented in the EU REACH regulations.

Synthetic Tanning:

Some tanners practice chrome-free tanning, called synthetic tanning. This process is based on chemistry, using substances that interact with the collagen of the skin and tan it. The resulting leather has different properties to chrome-tanned leather. This means that leather made using these tanning materials may not be suitable for all the applications of chrome-tanned leather. Conversely, synthetically-tanned leathers may perform better in some applications. European tanners are working with their technical centres and chemicals suppliers to expand the options and applications of synthetic tanning.

Vegetable Tanning:
Vegetable tanning was already introduced in our previous Newsletter.

With its characteristic smell, its warm colors that deepen over time and this beautiful ageing effect called “patina”, vegetable-tanned leather embodies the very essence of this age-old material.

In conclusion, there is no competition between the different types of tanning; they offer a range of possibilities underlining the complexity and subtlety of the tanners’ know-how. Giving leather special properties shows the true skills of a tanner!

European tanners are modern alchemists. They know how to mix these tanning and retanning processes to make unique leathers, but also work ethically and responsibly while respecting people and the environment.

Edited in May 2022 by

Innovation has always been necessary, but with emerging trends such as an increasing global population, urbanization, pressure on food production and climate change, the challenges for innovation in sustainability have increased.

The European tanning sector began its journey of innovation many years ago, with investment in industrial automation and technological evolution of production processes. More recently, progress has been seen in the use of digital technology and product research to stimulate green transformation. European tanners aim for long-term sustainable growth while enhancing their ability to respond to rapid market changes.

There are plenty of concrete successes along the innovation path of Europe’s tanning sector.

Take for example the use of enzymes in the soaking and liming processes where hides or skins are cleaned. These enzymes open the pores of the hides and skins, gently releasing the hair which can be recovered as a by-product. As it is free of harsh chemicals, this recovered hair or wool can then be reused as a resource, illustrating the circularity of the tanning industry.

But environmental considerations are not the only drivers of innovation in the tanning industry. Increases in energy or raw material costs can also be a driver, notably in process efficiency. High exhaustion tanning processes, heat pumps and automated drum feeding contribute to the saving of valuable resources, which is further enhanced by digitalization.

The future will bring automated plants equipped with sensors to monitor production processes. This will lead to greater production flexibility, while minimizing the use of water, energy and chemicals, and at the same time, limit the risks in the workplace related to the human/machine interface or exposure to chemical products.

The passion for continuous innovation is transmitted to the younger generation of tanners in the courses taken in Europe’s reputed vocational education & training institutions.

Finally, the need for research and innovation in the tanning industry derives also from the cultural and creative side of the leather business. Success on the European leather market requires constant customization of technological solutions. European tanners continue to develop an extremely varied and ever-changing product portfolio. This is what makes European leather special and different to all others.

Edited in April 2022 by

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Leather and deforestation; not to blame but willing to help

Due to its link with the meat industry, leather is often claimed to be a cause of the deforestation in vulnerable environments, such as the Amazon. Reports by NGOs have attempted to associate fashion brands and automotive companies to deforestation and leather is one of the commodities that may be subject to new due diligence requirements contained in proposed regulations in the EU, UK and possibly, the USA.

These concerns have given rise to considerable activity by the industry to improve transparency and traceability within the leather supply chain. Action has been taken to ensure, as far as possible, that the leather supply chain does not contain hides sourced from illegally deforested areas and to give confidence to downstream customers and consumers that their products are not contributing to deforestation.

However, it must be understood that leather does not drive the rearing of livestock. The production of leather is all but incidental to that. By extension, it does not drive deforestation. Research at the University of Montana has shown that demand for hides for leather has no direct influence on the number of animals reared and slaughtered. This means that even the best efforts of the leather sector will have a limited impact in the fight against illegal deforestation.

It must also be recognized that the illegal deforestation in the regions of concern is due to corruption, abuses of power, ‘land grabbing’ and ‘cattle laundering’. Even the most diligent companies could be misled on the provenance of the raw materials that they source, particularly from its indirect suppliers. Moreover, most tanneries are small, which exacerbates the challenge. As a customer of the meat industry, leather manufacturers are excluded from the first stages of the supply chain and are not involved in the sourcing and tracing of livestock.

Furthermore, hides or skins are of little importance to the meat value chain; hides may represent as little as 0.8% of the animal’s value, and globally, up to 40% are simply thrown away

The leather sector has very little scope to influence the upstream supply chain. Farmers are paid for the whole animal and receive no premium for the hide or skin. As such, hides and skins have no influence on the rearing of livestock. Hence, while the leather industry supports the elimination of deforestation-sourced raw materials from its supply chain, the limitations on its influence on that part of the supply chain must be recognized and expectations must be tempered with pragmatism. Stigmatizing leather by defining it legally as a deforestation risk product is unfair and unhelpful.

Nonetheless, the global leather industry does not deny its place in supply chains that carry deforestation risks, and it will play its part in seeking to resolve the issues by pushing for increased transparency and traceability of raw materials. By engaging with our suppliers and insisting on change, leather manufacturers and their customers can be part of the solution.

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