• Lineapelle confirmed its importance to the global leather sector
• Decisions that would typically take weeks can take minutes at the show because the right people are in the room, physical samples are on the table and technical details can be clarified without intermediaries
• Nevertheless, a pronounced uncertainty about the future remains
• Leather holds its ground in high-spec segments by virtue of usage advantages
• Alternatives dominate mass production
• The future for European producers involves speed, service excellence, data-based quality and truthful storytelling.
MARKET INTELLIGENCE
The Lineapelle exhibition in Milan (September 23-25) once again confirmed its role as the central semi-annual hub for the global leather industry and allied sectors. Because it coincides with Milan Fashion Week and the Simac-Tanning Tech show, the spectrum of attendees is broad. Distinct visitor groups, who rarely converge in day-to-day business, can meet. Creative directors, buyers, engineers, and production leads come together to discuss material aesthetics, quality parameters, process requirements and delivery capabilities, translating ideas into realistic product paths more quickly.
This concentration of functions across the value chain is the fair’s real edge. Decisions that would typically take weeks can take minutes at Lineapelle because the right people are in the room, physical samples are on the table and technical details can be clarified without intermediaries.
On the catwalks, leather is visible yet often plays a decorative role: an accent, a tactile contrast, a visual spark for textile silhouettes. Conversations with creatives nonetheless underscore that leather retains a unique, irreplaceable status. The reasons are consistent: touch, patina, repairability, longevity, warm thermal behaviour on skin, and a characteristic smell that synthetics can only approximate. In the mass-copying fastfashion segment, however, leather remains a minority choice. Cost and processing considerations dominate, unless consumers explicitly demand the material and accept the associated price points. When they do not, substitutes can win because they are cheaper to process. Also, design in these tiers prioritises look over long-term performance. Simac-Tanning Tech, running in parallel, makes the industry’s technical priorities explicit: process optimisation, defect
detection, connected production data, transparency, energy efficiency, and material utilisation. The technology promises more consistent grain, reproducibility and less waste. These technologies are globally available; they confer no exclusive regional advantage to Europe. Cost disadvantages, driven by energy and labour costs, and the gradual erosion of downstream processing capacity cannot be offset by technology alone. Technology is necessary, but not sufficient. Advantage emerges where data competence, service speed, short lead-times, small minimum order quantities, reliable redyes, and fast claims decisions work together. If clusters can span tanning, cutting, prototyping and finishing, this, too, can be an advantage because it can compress time-tomarket.
Within the Lineapelle halls, material trends were clear. Lighter calf and lamb with buttery hand-feel, semi-aniline transparency, and matte luxury surfaces dominated. Broken naturals, deep blacks, dark berry shades and muted petrol defined palettes. Highly reflective metallics receded in favour of subtler, micro-shimmer effects. Natural grain with sporty embossing was in demand, especially where hide quality is high enough to carry transparent finishes without masking layers.
On the process side, hybrid tannages, from metal-free to low-metal, continue to mature. They are less a lofty sustainability narrative than a pragmatic response to emission, water, and repeatability demands from brands. In parallel, data discipline is improving.
Overlaying all of this is a pronounced uncertainty about the future, felt across the chain with varying intensity. Automotive and furniture leather manufacturers are currently hardest hit by weak orders and deteriorating consumer sentiment. Capacity is dialled down, investments are postponed or reduced to
maintenance; key accounts matter more. Leathergoods and footwear are holding up better. Here, run-rates hinge less on end demand than on reluctance to commit. The result is smaller lots, later releases and more options that can be exercised if needed, a logic that rewards short-term flexibility and penalises rigid minimums.
For tanneries, fragmentation, flexibility, and specialisation are the new centre of gravity. Those who enable small minimum order quantities, compress lead times, deliver stable reproducibility and prove good service speed remain in the game.
Leather can defend its position in demanding segments because usage properties matter and consumers are willing to pay for comfort, longevity and repairability. The core problem lies where leather, as a material, can hardly be defended in mass production. Alternatives look convincing enough to win the short-distance purchase and processing advantages are tangible for many factories.
Performance attributes, such as breathability, lifespan or repairability are often neither measured nor communicated in these segments. It is therefore unsurprising and somewhat discouraging that, even at a fair such as Lineapelle, a notable number of exhibitors presented alternative materials that look like leather but have little to do with leather in reality.
This communication gap remains the industry’s quiet handicap. If brands do not choose leather deliberately, if retail teams lack simple, tangible arguments, and if data sheets describe chemical paths but not usagerelevant properties, the material will not land in consumers’ minds. The outcome is a lookdriven market, judging leather by appearance, while its true strength lies beyond appearances.
For tanneries, influence on future adoption remains limited until brands themselves make a clear material choice for leather and carry it through product, packaging and communication. Visible material signatures, co-branding, comparison swatches, retail training, and simple, verifiable KPIs on breathability, flex performance and repairability make the difference.
Even as certification bodies celebrate their work, pushback grows once the newest audit concepts are discussed in operational detail. The promises, that certifications would lead to benefits in the market, have not been met in practice. Production and sales keep trending down while direct and indirect costs remain significant, with no tangible benefit. The parties footing the bill, the tanneries, do not
benefit, and the parties demanding certificates, the brands and manufacturers, are not willing to pay for them. If they perceive real value, they should accept price uplifts. Few have the courage to abandon certifications outright, yet workarounds are being explored and, in some cases, found. A brief detour into the split and split-leather market reveals its own tension. In Europe, much depends on how splits are used. On the one hand, declining production starves specific applications of supply. Paradoxically, suede splits see solid demand in difficult times because nubuck and velour aesthetics receive special attention. Yet available split material as a tannery by-product is currently scarce. On the other hand, the protein industry is similarly constrained by reduced leather production and supply. Here too, by-product from tanneries is lacking, although substitution via whole hides is technically possible in some cases. Trade flows need to adapt to a new baseline, and that requires
time, predictable price levels and adapted processing. For tanneries considering protein production as a bridge, the relatively simple process can load capacity short term, but it delivers sustainable returns only if margins justify opportunity costs. As a stop-gap it may work; as a long-term backbone it risks tying up capital without adequate yields.
Expectations for the near term are sober. Raw-material suppliers must digest outcomes from recent industry events and client takeaways and convert them into pricing. Under normal conditions, European slaughterhouse prices for bovine hides should move down, especially the higher-priced, predominantly male categories. Strategic or political market-share battles may resist such moves, despite lacking a basis in market reality. To keep material flowing, marketconforming prices are needed, and for several (still highly priced) hide types those levels seem low.
A recurring year-end issue is inventory
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valuation: price reductions force write-downs, and tanneries with heavy stocks will factor this into decisions. Again this is a financial artifact rather than a reflection of true market dynamics. Looking at the global price grid, Europe shows a clear need for adjustment. It will come sooner or later; the question is whether it arrives in an orderly, forwardlooking manner or as a reactive wave that rolls through the chain.
Against this backdrop, Europe’s leather industry faces urgent problems. Time is short. There is a widespread sense that the challenge has been recognised, but the responses are not yet convincing. Hope is not a strategy. What works immediately is customer proximity. That means smaller lots, reliable repeatability, fast service and clear data from hide to customer lot. In the medium term, clusters, training pipelines, open interfaces and disciplined specification management across sites are decisive. Strategically, the critical lever is brands’ deliberate choice in favour of leather. Only when leather is used as a true differentiator do its strengths compound across a product’s life.
In short, leather holds its ground in highspec segments by virtue of usage advantages, while visual alternatives dominate mass production. The path to resilience for European producers runs through speed, service excellence, data-based quality and truthful storytelling. Lineapelle and its companion shows provide the stage, the contacts and the reality check. The outcome will depend on how quickly the industry translates the right conclusions into processes, prices, portfolios and communication.
US PERSPECTIVE
Export sales of cured cattle hides for the period ending September 18 were 381,100 pieces. The figure for exports of wet blue was 344,500 pieces.
The most recent reports on hide prices showed butt-branded steers weighing 63-65 pounds at $19 and heavy Texas steers weighing 60-62 pounds at $11.50 per piece.
Cow hide prices were unchanged, with northern dairy cows at $13, south-west dairy cows at $12.50, northern branded cows at $5 and south-west branded cows at $4.50, with weights of 50-52 pounds in each case.
The source of all these figures is the US Department of Agriculture. Please note that the prices quoted represent ‘ballpark’ figures.
Cattle markets USA
This will be an important week for finding the negotiating strengths of the parties. First comes the show list size then the regional positions. Declines of fed cattle numbers in both Texas and Colorado will encourage more movements from Nebraska and Iowa. Kansas will always be a pivot state but pulling cattle out of Texas for the beef plants in southern Kansas will become more difficult.
Sales last week were mainly $232-$235
the north and $237 in the south. Dressed prices were mainly $365. Northern prices were $5 lower and southern prices $2-$3 lower.
Some movements are noted between regions. Cattle in the north are generally higher grade and when those cattle sell at a lower price, it encourages beef processors to purchase and ship those cattle south. Excessive numbers in Nebraska and Iowa are quickly brought current when those cattle are shipped to Kansas, Colorado and Texas to fill in for shorter supplies in those regions. Freight cost and lower carcase yields sometimes interfere with price differences for value.
Box prices continued to weaken closing the week with a $13 loss in the choice cut-out. Processor margins are threatened as beef cuts move lower, faster than live prices of cattle. The box losses of this last week were larger than the $2-$5 drop in live cattle prices. Packers will work to balance beef offerings to prevent further declines and the only way to manage that risk is to monitor the slaughter volumes until they can stabilise the retail demand.
As September turns to October the fall runs of cattle moves into full swing. This year’s full swing is tempered by reduced numbers of cattle, and auction receipts seem to be falling well under last year’s. Winter grazing prospects are good and many farmers are drilling wheat into well watered soil for a change. Smaller receipts translates into less cattle available for winter grazing. Not all farmers are anxious to graze their own cattle this year and many are soliciting cattle for grazing.
Throughout the industry the feeling that replacement prices have reached a level presenting an imminent danger to operating margins. Many operations are paring back and dropping out. Feedlot occupancy is in decline and some will close before reaching the low point of available replacement supplies. This is the first week when declining futures were accompanied by declining replacement prices.
Corn prices have found a trading level that is soft during harvest season. Elevators are lowering the basis as harvest progresses in the plains. Corn basis levels in Guymon, Oklahoma, are at +$0.60 — basis the December contract.
GERMAN PERSPECTIVE
This week: It is probably fair to say that all expectations of the Lineapelle exhibition in Milan (September 23-25) were met. The leather industry in Italy remains the heart and brain of the global industry; most others are, at best, the arms and legs.
That is why we hope the Lineapelle exhibition will continue for a long time to come, because where else could all parts of the supply chain be brought together to give a concise overview of the situation in the leather industry?
What could be taken away from Milan?
Actual Slaughter Under Federal Inspection
There is no need to talk about the material any more. Everything has already been said about leather, and all the different production methods, articles and qualities have been known for a long time. If you were looking for something new, and there were a few things in leather for shoes, clothing and, of course, accessories, you had to look very closely. However, this also requires a certain level of expertise and experience on the part of buyers, and this is no longer so readily
available in purchasing departments. The situation in the industry can actually be described relatively quickly. European tanners are suffering greatly from the continued exodus of their customers, from political uncertainties, changes in consumer behaviour and, of course, the fact that leather as a material has simply been unable to defend its own position. Anyone who needed further proof of this only had to look at the now remarkable number of exhibitors offering
leather substitutes in the broader sense. What are the most important findings for raw material suppliers? Certainly the large number of problems in large-scale industrial production for the automotive and furniture industries. The volume demand owing to the weak order situation will not improve in the coming months, which will undoubtedly affect raw materials.
Smaller, more agile and somewhat specialised manufacturers are also complaining about lower order books and the pressure to produce faster and more flexibly, but overall the situation there is not yet so tense. The situation is much more relaxed for niche manufacturers and for the high-end luxury segment. However, one thing should be clear to everyone after visiting the trade fair: the leather industry in Europe is at a crossroads.
Despite the importance of the trade fair in Milan, the overseas markets must not be forgotten. This is certainly good news, because
even if the prices are not a cause for enthusiasm, buyer activity in Asia, and in China in particular, was quite satisfactory.
Although the focus in China is always on low-priced goods, there was at least sufficient demand for these if one accepted the bidding prices, making it possible to sell the quantities one wanted. However, price differences in Asia are no longer based on the “quality” of the hide, but only on its weight, which continues to suggest that it is more about the split than the hide and the leather.
The kill: Slaughter remains relatively subdued. Although we are already at the end of September, the weather was still very summery until last weekend. The meat industry reports good demand, but the numbers are not really picking up yet, which is probably due to reduced supply from farmers at the moment. Almost every large slaughterhouse reports difficulties in actually achieving the planned production volumes each week. Nevertheless, it is likely that
postponed is not cancelled, and it is therefore only a matter of weeks before slaughter numbers increase.
What we expect: Everyone will have to take a closer look at pricing for October at slaughterhouses again. The first step will be to correct the nonsense of the past few months and find a serious reflection of the market situation for prices at slaughterhouses. It would be wise to take the risks of the coming months into account at an early stage. However, risk assessment is not a particular core competence in our industry. While the market for female livestock has found a reasonably stable footing, the discovery phase for male livestock will probably take a few more weeks.
LONG READ
Leather Leaders:
Dr Christine Anscombe
Life lessons
Dr Christine Anscombe became the chair of the training commission (IUT) of the International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) at the end of 2024. In this interview she outlines her hopes for the future of leather education across the globe.
How would you sum up the training and education you received in preparation for your career in the leather industry?
I had no family connection to the leather industry. At school, when I was 14, we went to a careers exhibition. I came back with a leaflet from Nene College, which was the predecessor of what became the Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) at the University of Northampton. My school was in Northamptonshire but our careers teacher had never heard of the leather course at Nene College and tried to convince me to do something else. But the idea stayed with me and I applied.
I think I was lucky to be accepted because I didn’t do as well as expected in the exams at the end of high school. I received a lot of help from the course’s director, Peter Ellement. It wasn’t a degree course in those days. The qualification we received at the end was called a Higher National Diploma, a vocational higher education qualification. I did that from 1982 until 1984. I was the only woman in my year group and one of only two students from the UK in a group that had people of 30 different nationalities. I loved that. It showed that in the leather industry there were jobs everywhere in the world. Because I had no family connection to any tannery, I could go anywhere and this appealed to me very much. There was a disadvantage too. Everyone else had had plenty of work experience on the tannery floor and I had none. But the course was nine-to-five every day, with lots of practical and lab work, as well as the theoretical side. It did prepare you to come
LATEST HIDE AND SKIN PRICES FROM GERMANY
out and be immediately useful to someone; I was confident I would be able to do that.
What are the highlights of what you were able to do with that education on entering the world of work?
At the end of the course, I received four job offers: one in New Zealand, two in Italy and one in the UK, which was at Carr Tanning, in the Cotswolds. A whole level of managers were ready to retire and the company had no succession plan in place. It took me on and I was happy to go. Not long after, I did travel, all the way to Australia, where I worked for Packer Leather. I went back and forth between Australia and the UK for a while and had my two children. When I went back to full-time work it was at BLC Leather Technology Centre in Northampton. I stayed there for 11 years and ended up running training. It was there I met my friend and colleague Amanda Michel, who died in 2017. Together, Amanda and I set up our own leather training and consultancy business, Leather Wise. The projects we worked on included helping to design a national vocational qualification in leather. We also helped leathergoods brand Mulberry run its in-house apprenticeship programme. Later, Amanda and I wrote material for the master’s course that the ICLT offered. I maintained a link to the University of Northampton and became a member of its technical liaison group. The university awarded me an honorary doctorate in 2016. In 2009, I left Leather Wise and moved to work full time at research and testing organisation, SATRA. I still work there today and am assistant director for marketing. The International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) appointed me as chair of its training commission, the IUT, at the end of 2024.
What are the major changes that have taken place in recent years in leather education and access to it?
Reutlingen and Northampton have been
big losses. The Lederinstitut Gerberschule Reutlingen in Germany closed in 2011. Teaching of leather courses at the University of Northampton’s ICLT ended in summer 2025. There are other educational options, of course. The thing is, though, that IULTCS doesn’t know exactly what is available now, globally, and who is providing what. We know that there are courses in Turkey, Spain and other countries and that some institutions are delivering courses in English to make them accessible for international students. We want to work out how best to support and promote these programmes and bring more young people to them. My ties to Northampton are important to me and I don’t like to be too critical. The ICLT was exceptional in what it delivered, but was it what the industry needed? In the UK, at least, we’ve become hung up on everybody needing to go to university and earn a degree. Universities’ funding relies on that. But it doesn’t suit everybody. I think we need to make a broader range of teaching materials available to
people who want to learn about leather, with wide access to them. It all needs to be more flexible. The choices have not been diverse enough over the years.
Has the leather industry contributed to this lack of flexibility?
There have been big changes in the industry as well as in education, and that’s important. So much comes down to money. Companies’ purse strings are becoming tighter, and training and education are among the first things to be cut. It’s so short-sighted. There has been an expectation among many companies that they should be able to pull candidates from educational institutions at the end of courses, to take advantage of the end product, but without contributing too much to the process that creates that end product. There are exceptions; there are companies that do invest. When the decision came to close Northampton’s ICLT, I was part of an informal group called Supporters of Leather Education
Leather is a global business. Leather is a global business.
More than 95% of US hides are than 95% of US hides are exported, with value added across with value added across the globe. A strong leather the A strong leather industry bene昀ts us all. bene昀ts us all.
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and Science, or SOLES. We wanted to see what people in the industry thought about this and to see if there was any chance of saving ICLT. It developed at one point into a network of more than 100 people from 70 organisations. What has come out of this, to my mind, is a clear message that the industry needs flexible, modular, practical training in leather technology. And the practical element may be the biggest challenge. A lot of practical leather education is being delivered by chemical companies now. They are filling a gap.
In your opinion, what have these changes in education provision meant for the industry?
The consequences have not hit yet. Unless we pass all this knowledge on, a time will come when we no longer have people who understand the process of making leather well enough. Unless we have people who do understand it well, we won’t have innovation. Basic tanning is well documented; you can learn to make a piece of leather, but we need more than that. In my opinion, the biggest threat will be that an increase in demand for biomaterials could mean that, in the future, a very good alternative to leather will come along and do the job even better than leather. We will still have meat and waste from meat. A biomaterials company may find a way of using that waste better than we can, using the collagen in a different way. If you lose education, you lose the people who will be able to challenge that.
IULTCS has specified cultivating new generations of leather scientists and professionals as one of its priorities. How will it go about achieving this? What support from the wider industry will IULTCS be able to call on for this?
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Perhaps the teaching that is in place across the world could be more formalised, with a global curriculum. Perhaps IULTCS, as a global body, could develop a global package that could sit under the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). But we need to identify what is there now before we invent new things. My instinct is that we don’t need to keep reinventing the wheel. We still have people with deep knowledge of the industry. We also have good material available in a variety of formats. We can develop this into an industry package and that could lead to a professional qualification, perhaps even an IULTCS qualification. But we will need to have someone drive it properly and we will need industry buy-in.
It is difficult to avoid making a connection between a lack of leadership and of common purpose in the global leather sector and the impression many have today that the industry receives unfair treatment from legislators and many consumer product brands. What motivates you to keep working and travelling to share a positive message about the industry? What gives you hope for the future?
One huge positive is the people we have in the industry and the relationships leather
people are able to form. In this industry, competitors can talk to one another and enjoy each other’s company. This is something I have not observed in other industries. Leather people are very passionate about the material. This is what will save the industry. You reach a point at which you have to collaborate and we have reached that point in leather now. People must recognise the need to share knowledge and realise that this will not affect their ability to compete. That is where the future lies and it is a future I am positive about. I am thankful that I am in this industry. It has given me a career that I have loved.
NEWS ROUND-UP
EUROPE
Important day for GSC
Leather chemicals group GSC hosted a launch event for an expansion at its headquarters near Vicenza on September 26.
Chief executive, Adriano Serafini, welcomed customers and other guests from Asia, the Americas, Africa and many parts of Europe to the event. He said it was an important day for GSC, one that marked “a change of direction” for the company.
He said the company wanted to offer “the instruments the market needs”, adding that expansion at its headquarters would help it put service at the core of its operations.
Leather abounds at Burberry
While scaling back on a reliance on leathergoods, Burberry’s spring-summer 26 collection leans on leather for its clothing, with leather coats, trousers and skirts featured in the show in London's Kensington.
Models walked around a festival-style tent, capturing the "creativity of modern-day artists” and atmosphere of a concert, while actress Joanna Lumley carried a checked leather bag from the recent collection.
For tops and skirts, leather was laser-cut to mimic lace, with edges trimmed with fringed leather.
Bags for the season are “softer and unstructured”. The Hampstead in leather is finished with zips. New shapes come with an Equestrian Knight closure, and Bridle bags feature an equestrian-inspired handle on slouchy totes.
New shoes include the Baez sandals, Tone – a new lace-up boot – and the equestrianinspired Ledger boot.
COTANCE credits politicians for EUDR breakthrough
The secretary general of COTANCE, Gustavo González-Quijano has paid tribute to members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who “worked very hard” to point out the flaws in the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
His comments came following an announcement from the EU Commissioner for the environment, Jessika Roswall, on September 23 that a new one-year delay for
the regulation is now likely to happen. This is still subject to approval from legislators in Brussels and in the national governments of the EU member states.
Speaking at Lineapelle in Milan the following day, Mr González-Quijano, said that thanks to the work of a number of politicians, it had become clear to the Commission that the systems needed for EUDR to work will not be ready by the current deadline, December 31, 2025.
“There was an incorrect assessment of the volume of data that the system would have to cope with,” he said.
The secretary general of the leather industry’s main representative body in the European Union paid particular tribute to MEPs Christine Schneider and Peter Liese for the dedication and clarity with which they have sought to point out the flaws in the regulation as it stands.
It remains to be seen if, in the discussions that follow, “further simplification” of EUDR might occur, Mr González-Quijano said.
QUAKER COLOR A STEP AHEAD IN AUTOMOTIVE FINISHING
Special
anniversary celebrations at Tanning
Tech
Tanning machinery manufacturers celebrating important anniversaries this year include Bergi and GER Elettronica.
On the middle day of the Tanning Tech exhibition, these two companies hosted parallel celebrations. Bergi was celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of its launch, while GER was marking its fiftieth.
At a reception the chief executive of Bergi, Mauro Bergozza, and the founder of GER Elettronica, Bruno Burato, invited customers, employees and friends of the two companies to join them in celebrating their longevity and ongoing success.
Milan shows draw to a close
Leather
exhibition Lineapelle, and technology events Tanning Tech and Simac came to a successful conclusion in Milan on September 25 after three days.
Tanners at Lineapelle displayed collections of finished leather for the autumn-winter
Supplying innovative finishes to the automotive industry for over six decades
Quaker Color is a division of McAdoo & Allen, with roots in the leather industry for over a century
2026-2027 fashion season, while technology providers showed innovations in machinery and systems for manufacturing leather at Tanning Tech, and for manufacturing footwear and footwear components at Simac.
Overall impressions ranged from people who were cautiously optimistic about an upturn in market fortunes, to those who felt the mood remains very muted, owing to geopolitical uncertainty and weak consumer confidence.
LWG looks ahead after two decades
The Leather Working Group (LWG) marked its 20th anniversary with a celebration in Milan on September 24, following the second day of the Simac Tanning Tech and Lineapelle fairs.
Speaking at the event, Jon Clark, chief executive of Primeasia, said the industry must continue “pushing boundaries” and avoid complacency. He said the need for deeper traceability, broader collaboration and the use of real-time data must be used to help
customers make “smarter, easier decisions up and down the supply chain”.
Mr Clark also stressed the importance of balancing tradition and craftsmanship with innovation and technology. He dismissed suggestions that leather is losing relevance. “People are going to use leather, people are going to love leather,” he said, adding that credibility, integrity and fairness must remain at the core of LWG’s work.
“As we move into the next 20 years, we will shape a brighter and more sustainable world, one that understands the leather industry better than ever before,” he concluded.
UNIC welcomes EUDR pause and presents IT platform
Italian tanning industry body UNIC presented a new IT tool to help tanners manage the bureaucratic burden of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) at the September edition of Lineapelle.
At the exhibition in Milan, it explained to tanners and other stakeholders from all parts of the world how the new system, Hides Eco
Track, will work, ahead of a formal launch in December. It described the platform as a cloud-based, decision-support system for EUDR compliance for the leather sector.
Lineapelle and UNIC started working with partners to develop the system in April this year. Four pilot tanneries will take part in extensive testing in October.
Development partners included certification body ICEC, technology partner Terrasystem and UNIC’s counterpart for the Italian timber sector, Conlegno.
Vice-director, Luca Boltri, confirmed at the presentation that Lineapelle will make Hides Eco Track available for bovine leather manufacturers outside Italy to use as well.
The unveiling of the IT tool came the day after news broke in Brussels of another postponement of the regulation. Until this announcement, which still needs to be confirmed, the expectation was that EUDR would come into application at the end of this year.
Mr Boltri said: “We wanted to have something ready. We are following developments every day, but we don’t know what will happen with EUDR after the postponement. If we never need to use Hides Eco Track, we will be happy enough.”
He insisted that nobody is in favour of deforestation, just as everyone is in favour of sustainability, but he said that, in EUDR, the European Commission had published a regulation with “a lot of problems” in the text.
“This legislation is very badly written, and too many regulations like this have come too quickly,” he added. “This postponement has come about because of all the chaos this has caused. We would rather the European Commission introduced fewer regulations, but ones that are better thought through and better presented.”
Erretre among honourees at Simac Tanning Tech
Atan exhibitors’ reception on September 23, marking the close of the first day of the Simac Tanning Tech show, organisers Assomac presented awards to companies that have been exhibiting at the fair for 50 years.
Among the recipients was specialist tannery technology provider Erretre, with chief executive Antonio Galioto and Giulio Galioto accepting the award from Assomac president Mauro Bergozza.
Assomac general manager Agostino Apolito, who introduced the presentation, remarked, “Here’s to the next 50.”
Assopellettieri forms alliance with MITA in Scandicci
Anew strategic alliance between Assopellettieri and MITA – Made in Italy Tuscany Academy – was presented in Scandicci on September 18.
The long-term agreement aims to support generational transition in leather goods, combining traditional craftsmanship with new technologies.
The partnership begins in the Florentine district, but is already reaching abroad. In
Nairobi, Kenya, 35 apprentices are following a training course in leather goods run by MITA with backing from the UN, the Ethical Fashion Initiative, Vivienne Westwood, and the Salesian network. Selected participants will go on to internships with Tuscan companies.
President Claudia Sequi of Assopellettieri said the alliance places training at the centre of the sector’s future, while MITA president Maurizio Del Vecchia highlighted the value of combining technical skills with social and experiential learning.
UNIC president tips Tanning Tech audience off about new EUDR delay
Word of a possible new delay to the implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) spread quickly on the first morning of Tanning Tech exhibition in Milan.
At a formal opening event for the exhibition on September 23, a senior Italian member of the European Parliament, Francesco Torselli, was a special guest.
“I want to offer you a message of hope,” he told manufacturers of leather and leather and footwear machinery in the audience. “Even regulations that have seemed to be untouchable are being delayed and amended.”
When Mr Torselli had finished speaking, the president of Italy’s national tanning industry association, UNIC, Fabrizio Nuti, responded to the politician, saying: “Even as you were speaking, Francesco, I received a message to say the European Commission will propose a new delay on the implementation of EUDR.”
Mr Nuti said he was pleased to be able to give people in the leather sector “some good news”.
EUDR: European Commission to propose a further 12-month delay
The European Commission is poised to postpone the implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by a further year.
EUDR was adopted by the European Parliament and by leaders of the 27 EU member states in June 2023. The regulation was originally due to come into application for large operators in December 2024 and for smaller companies in June 2025. But in October 2024, the European Commission announced an initial year-long extension to allow companies more time to put the necessary traceability systems in place.
Companies selling leather in the EU will, under EUDR, have to present documented proof that the cattle hides used as raw material have no connection to deforested land.
In August 2025, following a political agreement on tariffs and trade between the US and the EU, a joint statement from the European Commission and the White House suggested that pressure from the US could be on the point of bringing about a shift on EUDR.
On September 23, reports from Brussels
said the EU Commissioner for the environment, Jessika Roswall, had confirmed that a new one-year delay for the regulation is in the works. She said concerns remained about the technology companies will use to present proof if EUDR-compliance.
Ms Roswall said she would hold discussions with the European Parliament and with representatives of the national governments of the 27 states before formally announcing a new delay. Further permanent changes to the regulation to make it simpler to put into practice may also be possible.
Lineapelle September 2025 opens its doors
The September 2025 edition of Lineapelle opened at Fiera Milano Rho on September 23 and will run until September 25.
Organisers confirmed that more than 1,150 exhibitors from 37 countries are taking part in the show’s 106th edition. Exhibiting companies include tanneries, suppliers of accessories and components, and producers of fabrics and synthetics, presenting
collections for the autumn/winter 2026–2027 season.
Lineapelle described the event as a forum of stylistic and production synergies for the global fashion, luxury and design supply chain. The exhibition has also been presented as a “laboratory of the future”, with content designed to reflect innovation across materials and processes.
For logistical reasons linked to preparations for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February 2026, the next two editions of Lineapelle will remain at Fiera Milano Rho, but will take place in halls 1–3, 2–4 and 5–7.
Simac-Tanning Tech under way in Milan
TheSimac-Tanning Tech exhibition opened in Milan on September 23, running until September 25.
President of Italy’s national tanning and footwear machinery manufacturers’ association Assomac, Mauro Bergozza, welcomed exhibitors and visitors during a formal opening event.
makes it natural
He described the leather and footwear producers in the domestic market as “sustainable, Made In Italy industries”, but he pointed out that the technology Assomac member companies develop as “an essential component” of the work their customers carry out.
He went on to say that international visitors would also play a special part in this edition of Simac-Tanning Tech. Among a “high number of international participants, he offered a special welcome to official delegations from Argentina, Chile, China, Egypt and Kenya.
Sustainable leather and circularity in Mulberry’s operations
UK-based leathergoods brand Mulberry has published its latest impact report.
The report outlines the brand’s sustainability initiatives across climate, circularity, and community, with leather remaining a central focus.
The company has committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, covering both direct and indirect operations. In 2024/25, Scope 1 and 2 emissions were reduced by 23% through renewable electricity, on-site solar generation, and improved refrigerant data, while Scope 3 emissions fell 45% compared with the baseline year, partly due to business contraction.
Leather continues to be a primary material in Mulberry products, accounting for 85 to 90% of the range. All leather is sourced from environmentally accredited tanneries, with more than 75% achieving gold or silver ratings in Leather Working Group audits.
The company is working to trace leather back to farm level and is introducing regeneratively sourced British leather through its partnership with British Pasture Leather. Life Cycle Analysis of UK-manufactured bags helps the company understand the carbon footprint of its leather supply chain.
Circularity remains a key priority, with the Lifetime Service Centre repairing and refurbishing over 9,800 items, and the Mulberry Exchange resale platform surpassing £1 million in annual sales, giving more than 7,000 pre-loved bags new owners. The company is also increasing the use of certified and lower-impact materials such as recycled nylon, bio-based Scotchgrain, organic cotton, and certified wool and cashmere.
“Our ambition remains clear: to be part of the climate solution, while ensuring our products are made to last,” said Andrea Baldo, Mulberry CEO.
Oeko-Tex puts greater emphasis on biodiversity
Certification company Oeko-Tex has worked with environmental organisation Global Nature Fund to update the STeP facility certification with criteria concerning biodiversity.
The updates include:
• the environmental performance of the facility shall be considered at all times and particular attention shall be paid to minimising negative impacts on ecosystems, protecting natural habitats and avoiding practices that lead to the deterioration of biological diversity
• an effective Environmental Management System shall include the results of an assessment regarding the significance of the facility's impact on biodiversity; and
• the facility shall develop an understanding of how it interacts with the environment and their influences on biodiversity and ecosystem function.
Carolin Franitza, stakeholder manager at Oeko-Tex, said: “Healthy ecosystems are a vital foundation for environmentally responsible and sustainable textile and leather production. They are essential for long-term economic stability and success.”
Another change of CEO at Gucci as Luca de Meo makes his mark
The new chief executive of luxury group Kering, Luca de Meo, has wasted no time in shaking up he group’s biggest brand, Gucci. It announced on September 17 that Francesca Bellettini would become the new chief executive of Gucci. She was formerly the deputy chief executive of the Kering group, a role that will now be eliminated.
Mr de Meo, who took up his new role at Kering at the start of September after three decades in leadership roles in the automotive sector, said he wanted to build “a leaner and clearer organisation”. He added that he wanted “the best talent” to drive Kering brands forward.
“Gucci, as our group’s flagship brand, deserves the sharpest focus,” he added, “and Francesca, one of the most seasoned and respected professionals in our industry, will bring the leadership and flawless execution needed to restore the brand to its rightful place.”
year after his appointment. Mr Cantino took up the role at the start of 2025, taking over from Jean-François Palus. Mr Palus himself led Gucci for only 15 months, taking over in 2023 when Marco Bizzarri left.
This means Francesca Bellettini will become Gucci’s fourth chief executive in two years. This turmoil at the top has coincided with a serious fall in revenues at the brand. In its most recent results, Kering attributed € 3 billion of its total revenues for the first six months of 2025 to Gucci.
This contrasted with first-half revenues of €4.1 billion in 2024 and of €5.1 billion for the same period in 2023.
Ms Bellettini joined Kering in 2003 as strategic planning director and associate global merchandising director of Gucci. In 2008, she joined Bottega Veneta and became its merchandising and communications Director in 2010. In 2013, she became chief executive of Saint Laurent.
In September 2023, she was appointed to the role of deputy chief executive of the whole Kering group. She said she was “excited to embark on this new challenge”.
Tuscan tanning district passes audit
The Tuscan tanning district has maintained its EMAS (Eco-management and Audit Scheme) certification - a European Commission-driven tool that promotes the sharing of environmental best practice.
EMAS considers a wide range of parameters: from investments in tanneries and industrial parks, to campaigns to raise public awareness of environmental issues.
The entire district EMAS promotion committee - composed of the Tuscan Tanners' Association, the Ponte a Egola Tanners' Consortium and the Municipalities of Santa Croce sull'Arno, Castelfranco di Sotto, Fucecchio and San Miniato - participated in the audit.
Leather highlighted at FAO Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock
The leather industry will feature prominently at the FAO Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation and the Global Forum for Animal Feed and Feed Regulators in Rome.
ICT, together with UNIC – Concerie Italiane (Italy), Leather UK, the Leather and Hide Council of America (USA), COTANCE (Europe) and other partners, will showcase leather’s critical role in the livestock ecosystem.
The booth will demonstrate how hides and skins, by-products of slaughter, are transformed into natural, durable, and biodegradable materials used across fashion, furniture, and other industries.
Visitors can also learn how tanners convert process residues into collagen, gelatine, tallow, fertilisers, soil conditioners, and leather fibreboard, highlighting leather’s contribution to circular economy practices.
Attendees can experience leather-making through a virtual reality simulation and meet
global industry leaders. On 29 September, COTANCE Secretary General Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano will present on why leather is essential to sustainable livestock management. Visitors will also have the opportunity to take home leather souvenirs from the stand.
Kering confirms cyber attack
Luxury group Kering has confirmed that it was the object of a cyber-attack earlier this year.
Hackers told the BBC that they had stolen the names, email addresses and phone numbers of millions of Kering customers.
The company has confirmed that the data breach occurred but said no card details had been stolen. It said it had been in touch with customers affected to let them know what had happened.
It told the BBC it had refused to pay a ransom demand.
Leather and natural fibres in focus at international student contest
TheOnly Natural International Student Design Competition 2025 has announced seven category winners, now showcasing their work at the Material Matters Fair during London Design Festival.
Grant Gibson, design writer and competition judge, praised the students for “reimagining entire design processes around regenerative principles.”
Leather was highlighted in Mor Elfassy’s Touch Wood womenswear collection, using weave-knitting techniques, and in Bingbing Bai’s Eternal Vitality accessories, which draw on Tuscan vegetable-tanned leather.
Kerry Brozyna, president of the Leather & Hide Council of America, said the winners show how natural fibres are being pushed to new creative limits.
The finalists, representing seven countries, will attend an awards ceremony on September 16 before their work goes on display at the Material Matters Fair from September 17–20.
ZDHC celebrates decade of action
TheZero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals group has celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a look at its achievements: it said thousands of workers are no longer exposed to hazardous chemicals and there are cleaner rivers and communities.
Lydia Lin, chief implementation officer at ZDHC, commented that harmonised tools have given brands clarity and by embedding chemical management into procurement and compliance systems, ZDHC has enabled the industry to move from voluntary initiatives to measurable, scalable impact.
She said: “Ten years ago, we began with a bold vision: to transform the global textile, leather, footwear and apparel industries by driving safer chemical management and more sustainable practices. The journey was not simple, and the scale of the challenge was immense. But through collaboration,
persistence and shared commitment, we’ve demonstrated what can be achieved when industry comes together for a common purpose.”
She added that the focus must now shift from adoption to deep implementation.
Boxmark to create 400 new jobs in Lukavac next year
Leather manufacturer Boxmark will invest 13 million Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible marks (BAM/KM), approximately €6.65 million, in its Lukavac facility next year.
The company plans to expand its machinery park, increase production capacity and hire 400 new workers from January 2026, according to a statement from the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The company, which is part of a global group with operations in Austria, Mexico, Argentina, Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, currently employs 860 people in Lukavac and produces around 650 sets per day.
Federal minister of labour and social policy, Adnan Delic, visited the site to discuss the planned expansion and review training processes for new employees. He said Boxmark was a positive example of long-term investment and job preservation.
The ministry also highlighted the company’s decision to retain 160 workers despite a temporary lull in orders, allocating 360,000 BAM/KM (around € 184,000) per month to cover salaries until production ramps up again.
ASIA
ISA expands Vietnam presence with Ho Chi Minh showroom
ISA Next-Gen Materials has opened a new showroom in central Ho Chi Minh City. Customers and industry partners attended the opening ceremony.
The facility showcases eco-friendly leather from the ISA TanTec business unit alongside sustainable materials from ISA COSM. Its location, close to key customers’ offices, is intended to provide easier access and reduce time lost in traffic.
The showroom complements ISA’s existing facilities at Saigon TanTec and TransAsia TanTec in Vietnam, both rated Gold by the Leather Working Group. ISA said the new location would strengthen its local operations while maintaining close links with its international network.
Competition open for submissions
The Design-A-Bag (DAB) Online Competition has opened submissions for its 2026 edition.
Organised by Fashion Access since 2007, the annual event invites designers and design students worldwide to present innovative leather bag concepts.
The 2026 theme, New Uses/Functionalities, challenges entrants to create designs that
balance practicality, ergonomics and style, with leather as the main material.
Finalists will be sponsored to attend Fashion Access 2026 in Hong Kong, held alongside APLF Leather and Materials+.
Each finalist will receive a cash prize and exposure through industry platforms, while the overall winner will be awarded a fourweek design course at Arsutoria School in Milan.
The deadline for submissions is January 6, 2026.
Jordan-Uzbekistan leather and garment forum opens in Amman
The Jordanian-Uzbekistani Leather and Garment Industries Forum opened in Amman on September 17, aiming to strengthen trade and investment ties.
Ihab Qadri of the Jordan Chamber of Industry highlighted Jordan’s strategic location, access to over 1.5 billion consumers, and the forum’s role in fostering joint ventures, integrated supply chains, and knowledge transfer.
Jordan’s leather and garment sector generates over $2.5 billion in annual exports, employs 90,000 people, and recorded 8% growth in the first half of 2025. Representatives from both countries said the forum could pave the way for long-term collaboration, expanded market access, and a stronger strategic partnership.
Strong start for Bangladesh leather exports
Bangladesh’s leather sector achieved export revenues of $228.7 million for the first two months of the current financial year, July and August 2025. This is growth of 13.7% compared to the same months a year earlier.
Exports of finished leather brought in $19.75 million, up by more than 20% year on year, while shipments of leathergoods brought in more than $70 million, growth of 27%.
There was also growth for exports of leather footwear, which rose by almost 7% to reach $138.7 million.
THE AMERICAS
Brazilian footwear hubs have high expectations
Brazilian footwear makers are gearing up for the fifth edition of BFSHOW, organised by NürnbergMesse Brasil and the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados), which runs from 10 to 12 November in São Paulo.
Paulo Ricardo da Silva, president of the Novo Hamburgo Footwear Industries Union in Rio Grande do Sul, said: “Despite tariff increases, BFSHOW is a key opportunity to expand business, strengthen commercial relationships and open new export channels. It showcases the creativity and adaptability of Brazilian footwear to global buyers.”
Regional hubs are heavily represented. In Bahia, eight companies will attend with support from Sindicalçados Bahia, which cites
BFSHOW’s international reach as vital for both domestic and global prospecting. “Even with tariff concerns, our outlook for November is optimistic,” said union president Paulo Vicente Bender.
Nova Serrana in Minas Gerais will bring 45 companies. Rodrigo Amaral Martins, president of the Intermunicipal Footwear Industries Union of Nova Serrana, described the fair as “a fundamental event for market expansion and brand strengthening, helping us secure partnerships and boost sales despite a challenging trade environment”.
The Northeast states of Ceará, Paraíba, Bahia and Pernambuco together produced nearly 476 million pairs in 2024, accounting for over half of Brazil’s total footwear output.
BFSHOW 2025 is expected to feature around 350 brands and welcome more than 12,000 domestic and international visitors.
Argentina slaughter stats flat with last year’s
Meat
companies in Argentina slaughtered just over 9 million head of cattle in the first eight months of 2025, according to official figures from the country’s ministry of agriculture, livestock and fishing.
This figure is almost flat with the total for the same period last year; it represents a fall of 0.3%.
The ministry gave an average carcass weight of 231 kilos for the January-August 2025 period, up by 1.3% year on year.
Long-term price drop challenges Brazil’s exports
Brazilian hide prices have fallen sharply over the past decade, raising concerns about employment and competitiveness, according to news agency Reuters.
Data shared with the news agency, from Durli Leathers, shows that a hide worth $59 in 2014 is now valued at about $5, equivalent to 0.5% of a cattle head’s price compared with 14% a decade ago.
Durli CFO Christiano Frizzo said Brazil exports 80% of its unprocessed leather, with shipments totalling $1.25 billion in 2024, citing CICB figures. He linked the price decline to global oversupply, weaker international demand, and fossil-based substitutes promoted by petrochemical companies.
Other pressures include disease risks from pasture-raised cattle and quality losses caused by hot branding. Mr Frizzo argued that innovations such as digital ear tags for traceability could support recovery. According to Sebastiao Silva of a tanners’ association in Mato Grosso, repeated branding from multiple ownership changes further undermines hide quality.
Promise of ‘sharper insights’ brings Brazilians to Milan
Six
Brazilian tanneries will travel to Milan for the Lineapelle exhibition, which runs from September 23-25. They will attend with the support of the Brazilian Leather Project, an initiative that national tanning industry body CICB and the country’s investment promotion
agency, ApexBrasil.
Leather manufacturers taking part are Bolzano, Courovale, Couro e Arte, Fuga Couros, Nova Kaeru, and OCM Best Brasil.
CICB’s head of trade intelligence, Rogério Cunha, said Lineapelle’s co-location with technology fair Tanning Tech made the trip to Milan important. “It allows us to gain sharper insights into innovation, research and new suppliers,” he said.
JBS sees European acquisitions as meat market remains fragmented Food and tannery group JBS sees Europe as a key growth area due to its fragmented market, Reuters reported.
Controlling shareholder Wesley Batista said at a live-broadcast event on September 16 that “there are lots of opportunities in Europe and in other countries,” though expansion in the US and Brazil meat market is restricted by antitrust limits.
JBS listed in New York earlier this year, giving it access to more investors and lowering capital costs as it competes with US rival Tyson and Brazilian peers such as Minerva.
Batista also noted that the growing use of weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic is supporting global protein demand, though he said data on the impact remains limited.
H1 fall for Designer Brands,
but some
second-quarter signs of hope
Footwear
group Designer Brands has reported revenues of just over $1.4 billion for the first half of its current business year, the six months ending August 2, 2025. This represents a fall of 6% year on year.
Chief executive, Doug Howe, said results in the second quarter were better than in the first three months and that back-to-school sales had been strong.
He said consumer sentiment had “ticked up slightly” but that there was still “a notable amount of uncertainty” and caution in discretionary spending.
Brazilian shoe brands celebrate Micam success
Eighty Brazilian footwear brands collectively signed orders for 430,000 pairs of shoes at Micam in Milan (September 7-9), generating $8.5 million.
They expect the total to amount to be 1.3 million pairs and $22 million.
The companies were supported by the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados) in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).
Letícia Sperb Masselli, Abicalçados' business manager, said: "In this edition, we had a strong attendance of buyers from all continents. There were nearly 1,000 business contacts throughout the show, half of them new.”
Bruna Pini, export manager for leather shoemaker Savelli, said a decade ago Savelli was
heavily dependent on the US market. “Before Micam Milano, 65% of our exports went to the US,” she said. “Today, that figure has dropped to between 20% and 22%.” Thanks to Micam, the company now serves more than 50 international markets. “In this edition, we welcomed both long-standing and new key international clients, with significant orders.”
AFRICA
Assomac will sign Kenya agreement at Tanning Tech Italy’s national tanning and footwear technology manufacturers association Assomac is to sign a new agreement with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM). Assomac has said it expects a formal signing of a memorandum of understanding with KAM to take place at the Simac-Tanning Tech exhibition in Milan (September 23-25). It said that it was working on projects with
African countries, in keeping with an initiative the Italian government launched in 2024 called the Mattei Plan for Africa. It described the plan at the time of a programme of “partnership-based co-operation” with countries in Africa. Kenya is one of a group of nine pilot countries in Africa taking part.
At a press conference in the build-up to Simec-Tanning Tech, Assomac president, Mauro Bergozza, said the Italian organisation was “opening up a series of collaborations” with partners in Africa. “But this is not just at the level of supplying technology,” he insisted. “It is also about an exchange of ideas and values.”
OCEANIA
Australia’s beef export success triggers tariff hike in South Korea
Theauthorities in South Korea have implemented a 24% tariff on imports of beef from Australia.
Agreements between the two countries meant that meat companies in Australia were able to ship beef to South Korea with a tariff rate of 8% for the first 170,000 tonnes exported this year. Volumes passed this limit in early September, triggering the higher rate, which will remain in place for the rest of 2025.
Industry body Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) said this export levels had reached the limit a month earlier than last year and said this was an indication of how popular Australian beef has become in the South Korean market.
MLA said it was confident consumer demand for Australian beef would remain resilient in South Korea in spite of the higher tariff rate. In particular, it explained that it expected strong sales around the Chuseok national holiday in October.
South Korea is the fourth largest export market for Australian beef at the moment.
