stereotypes smashed Leather turnaround by Higg MSI Calfskins in short supply
Chiara Mastrotto:
News
2 News map News highlights from around the global leather industry.
4 Industry & Innovation New technology, new ideas from leather industry suppliers and service providers.
6 Leatherscene People from around the industry and famous lovers of leather who have made the headlines in recent weeks.
8 Backtrack Headlines from www.leatherbiz.com, the industry’s best and most complete news website. Leatherbiz is now in its 25th year. You can read about almost everything that has happened in the global leather industry this century in our extensive news archive.
Leather Leaders
10 How to smash the stereotypes It is now 15 years since Chiara Mastrotto became president of major leather manufacturing company Gruppo Mastrotto. She remains as determined as ever to encourage more women to pursue careers in the leather sector.
Technology
15 Whole hide Bergi has claimed an exciting advance with Sigma, one of the first throughfeed buffing machines designed for whole hides.
17 Quality and compliance New Zealand-based Mindhive Global has used AI and optical technologies to develop assessment solutions for automated grading of hides.
20 Smart factory principles Swiss-based cutting technology provider Zund has emphasised automation, precision and workflow efficiency in its most recent updates for the leather industry, part of a drive to instil smart factory principles.
22 Alternative approach This article lays out in detail why Trumpler believes DyTan, which uses non-hazardous chemicals and low temperatures to cross-link collagen fibres, is a good alternative leather production process.
Leather and the Circular Economy
26 Thought Leadership: Fact check Data from the Leather Working Group, Leather Naturally and Spin360 has resulted in a significant revision of figures for leather on the Higg Materials Sustainability Index.
28 Thought Leadership: Emotional experience Circular materials have a role to play as luxury brands are urged to give consumers experiences to remember.
32 Thought Leadership: A force for good Livestock farmers have the numbers to prove that they, too, can make a significant contribution to carbon emissions reduction.
36 Circular Stories: Policy planning Recent COP events have made it clear, once more, that an industry-wide effort is required to make policymakers understand the climatepositive benefits of turning hides into leather.
40 Circular Stories: City of 3,000 leathergoods brands A small display in Milan barely scratched the surface of the leathergoods talent and entrepreneurship that Seoul sustains.
43 Circular Stories: Calf constraints Past-president of ICHSLTA Nick Winters says “a huge reduction” in the supply of calfskins means tanners supplying luxury brands need to look for alternative raw materials.
Beast to Beauty
46 Bags take the blame London-based brand Burberry will put far less emphasis on expensive leather handbags as it seeks to “power its next chapter”.
Cover image: Recent collection called ‘The World After Us’ from French fashion brand LGNC. Around 90% of the material the brand uses comes from other companies’ dormant stocks. It regards leather as a material that will “give new confidence” to the wearer.
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CREDIT: LGNC
The World of News
UK Campaigners in Walsall are continuing efforts to save a museum dedicated to the leather manufacturing heritage of the town. At the end of last year, Walsall Council confirmed that it would seek to close the current building and relocate the museum’s collection by April 2026. According to campaigners, though, the Walsall Leather Museum is a “cherished landmark” and “the last remaining heritage asset that Walsall possesses”.
SPAIN The Spanish leather and footwear industry experienced a decline in 2024, losing 2,567 jobs, a 6.2% reduction compared to December 2023. By the end of the year, the sector employed 38,570 workers, an 11.2% decrease compared to December 2019. The decline contrasts with the overall Spanish labour market, which added over 500,000 jobs in 2024 and achieved the lowest unemployment levels in 17 years
EGYPT Egyptian prime minister, Dr Mostafa Madbouly, recently inaugurated 43 fully equipped factories in Roubiki Leather City. The facilities are tailored for the leather industry and related sectors. Additionally, a digital platform was launched for more investors to apply for space. Contracts for 21 tanneries went to companies that formerly operated in Cairo’s Magra El-Ayoun area.
FRANCE New figures from Alliance France Cuir put the value of the country’s leathergoods exports in the first ten months of 2024 at €10.7 billion, an increase of 3% year on year. Handbags made up almost €7.7 billion of the total, up by 4% compared to the January-October period in 2023. Over the same period, French footwear manufacturers brought in export revenues of close to €4.6 billion, flat compared to the previous year
SLOVAKIA Leather manufacturer SlovTan has said it has now found partners for all of its solid tanning residues, meaning none of its trimmings, shavings or off-cuts go to waste. Larger off-cuts of finished leather go for use in small leathergoods, while shaving dust is being compacted into large pellets for use in waste-to-energy facilities. Semiprocessed trimmings that are still rich in fat are being processed into animal feed, and shavings from its chrome-free operations are going into organic fertiliser for farmers to use.
TURKEY Further reasons have emerged for a shift in production from the Tuzla tanning cluster in Turkey to the one at Bursa, 100 kilometres away. Earlier this year, tanners complained that higher labour and water-treatment costs in the region around Istanbul were making leather production at Tuzla too expensive, prompting a number of manufacturers to concentrate on Bursa instead. Tanners have begun renting out their buildings in Tuzla to logistics operators and to companies in other manufacturing sectors.
RWANDA Plans to establish a tannery park in the Bugesera Special Economic Zone in Rwanda are progressing, with a feasibility study set to conclude within three months. The initiative aims to boost local leather processing and reduce dependency on imported hides and skins. The planned tannery park will include an integrated leather processing facility with effluent treatment systems.
ETHIOPIA Reports from Ethiopia say the country’s leather sector has “underperformed”. In 2023, the country launched a 10-year leather sector development strategy to turn itself into a major leather and leather products exporter. It has over 165 million cattle and produces 41 million hides and skins annually, but only 22 million hides reach tanneries each year.
KAZAKHSTAN A delegation of 20 business people from Kazakhstan visited the Tuscan tanners’ association Assoconciatori at the end of 2024 as part of a project promoted by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Italy. The event was supported by the Italian-Kazakh Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce said it hoped commercial relationships could be developed between the Kazakh livestock sector and the tanners.
The World of News
US New York-based accessory and footwear groups Tapestry and Capri Holdings have agreed not to go ahead with a proposed merger. Tapestry, whose brands are Coach, Stuart Weitzman and Kate Spade, announced in August 2023 that it wanted to acquire Capri Holdings, whose brands are are Versace, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo. However, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the competition authority in the US, moved to block the deal because, it said, it would be bad for consumers. The FTC has now secured an injunction, stopping the merger from going ahead.
INDIA All the production facilities of Royal Smit & Zoon have achieved Level 3 certification, the highest confidence level awarded by the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) programme. This milestone reflects the group’s efforts to enhance sustainability within the leather value chain. The certification of Smit & Zoon India Pvt Ltd marked the final step in ensuring all its global facilities meet ZDHC’s standards. The company also has more than 1,000 products registered on the ZDHC Gateway platform.
VIETNAM The Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (Lefaso) has projected that the country’s footwear and leather industry will achieve export revenues of $26-27 billion in 2024, reflecting a $3 billion increase from 2023. Lefaso general secretary, Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, said Vietnam is the world’s third-largest footwear producer and second-largest exporter, after China and India.
Sixteen key markets, including the US, China, Japan, and the EU, represented over 88.4% of total export revenues.
THAILAND Leathergoods brand Hermès recently reopened its store in the Central Embassy shopping mall in Bangkok following renovation. All 16 of Hermès product ranges are on offer across two floors in the store, inviting visitors “to immerse themselves in the heart of the house’s creative universe”, it said. Hermès emphasised that high levels of craftsmanship “broaden the scope” of its products. Leathergoods are in a partially encircled area to provide what the company has called “a serene ambience”.
BRAZIL The country has reported revenues from its 2024 exports of leather, hides and skins of more than $1.25 billion, an increase of 12.5% compared to the previous year. Measured by area, the quantity of leather, hides and skins that Brazil exported last year increased by 22.3% to reach almost 195 million squaremetres. And in terms of weight, the increase was of 38.8%, reaching almost 600,000 tonnes.
PARAGUAY The president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, led a delegation of ministers on a visit to the Durli tannery in Paraguarí, in the south of the country, in December. During the visit, the president paid tribute to Durli’s contribution to sustainable manufacturing and to job creation in Paraguay. He said these values were entirely in keeping with the national strategy for economic growth. Durli said it had used the encounter to present a formal request for the end of branding of cattle hides in Paraguay.
Industry & Innovation
Sadesa opens new Vietnam plant
Leather manufacturing group Sadesa has announced the inauguration of its new facility in Vietnam.
The newly completed tannery is strategically positioned at the Phu My 3 industrial park, near Ho Chi Minh City, and will produce up to two million square-feet of leather monthly.
Sadesa said building the new tannery showed its “unwavering dedication to innovation, sustainability, and leadership”.
Equipped with advanced technologies for leather production, environmental protection and resource conservation, the facility will use 4,700 square-metres of solar panels to generate 30% of the electricity it uses.
Stahl divests wet-end leather business
Manufacturer of speciality coatings for flexible materials Stahl has announced the sale of its wet-end leather chemicals business to Syntagma Capital, a private equity firm based in Brussels. The divestment includes the transfer of 428 employees, the complete wet-end portfolio, and manufacturing facilities in Italy and India.
The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025, pending regulatory approvals.
According to Stahl, this sale aligns with its strategy to focus on speciality coatings. Founded in 1930 as a leather finishing company, it has since diversified into coatings for various flexible materials. It has made recent acquisitions in packaging coatings in North America and Europe.
CEO, Maarten Heijbroek, has said the move will allow Stahl to enhance its innovation and sustainability efforts. Leather finishing remains integral to Stahl’s business, now led by Andrea Ceretta as group director for leather finishing.
The divested unit will operate independently with Xavier Rafols as its CEO. It will focus on leveraging the expertise that Stahl has built up in the leather industry, with an emphasis on innovation and sustainability.
Leather training workshop in Indonesia
Pulcra Chemicals, in collaboration with its partner Karyawiosa, hosted a twoday leather training workshop at Politeknik ATK Yogyakarta in Indonesia towards the end of 2024
The event focused on advancing sustainable practices and fostering innovation in leather processing through education and collaboration.
The workshop provided a platform for 48
Rolls-Royce in £300m expansion project
Automotive group Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced plans to invest more than £300 million to extend its manufacturing facilities in Goodwood in the south of England. It opened the Goodwood site at the start of 2003 and said this new project would involve “the single largest injection of capital” into the business since then.
In the 22 years since the site opened, the Goodwood manufacturing plant has undergone “significant internal changes”, Rolls-Royce stated. However, the building itself has remained largely unchanged. In 2003, he company employed 300 people at Goodwood and produced one car per day. Now, 2,500 people work at the site and production has increased to 28 cars per day.
The extension will create additional space for the increasingly complex and high-value bespoke projects that customers are asking Rolls-Royce to undertake. It said more and more of its clients now define luxury “as something deeply personal to them”.
participants, including students, teachers, and tannery professionals, to explore new approaches to sustainable leather production. Hands-on trials centred on shoe-upper manufacturing and encouraged participants to think beyond conventional methods and critically assess chemical usage in leather-making processes.
As part of the initiative, 18 students will now begin year-long practical training in tanneries, gaining real-world experience in applying sustainable techniques. An additional group of 20 first-semester students is set to join this programme during the year. Pulcra Chemicals said it viewed the workshop as a significant step towards preparing the next generation of leather professionals.
Solar energy success for Ecuadorean tannery
Aleather manufacturer in Ecuador, Curtiduría Tungurahua, has begun using renewable solar energy.
The company, based just outside the city of Ambato, launched a project to instal solar panels of the roof of its tannery in August 2023. It announced in November that the renewable energy plant was already working, providing power to its production team.
Chief executive, Gonzalo Callejas,
explained that the solar energy project was “a significant milestone” in the company’s wider sustainability strategy. But he added: “The main motivation for installing solar panels is independence. At the moment, we are totally dependent on the services and facilities that the state makes available to us.”
He said that Curtiduría Tungurahua has calculated that the solar energy project would allow it to lower its greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 2,500 kilos of CO2-equivalent per year.
At-seat service
Leather manufacturer Muirhead, part of Scottish Leather Group, has announced the launch of a new seat cover service, providing an integrated solution for the aviation industry. The service covers the entire process, from leather production to the creation of finished seat covers, all managed in-house.
Head of cabin engineering at Muirhead, Martin Longden, highlighted the importance of this development: “Unlike fabrics or synthetics, leather demands specialised craftsmanship and technical expertise to achieve the fit and performance required in aviation – expertise often missing in traditional supply chains.”
Industry & Innovation
Date confirmed
Brazil’s national tanning industry association, CICB, has announced March 19 as the date for the 2025 edition of its Sustainability Forum. The CICB Sustainability Forum is a one-day conference that takes place in the context of the Fimec exhibition in Novo Hamburgo, which this year runs from March 18-20.
CICB said lifecycle assessment in the leather industry will be a key theme at this year’s forum.
Executive president, José Fernando Bello, said: “Special attention should be given to lifecycle assessments, which are increasingly important to clients. This is already impacting the supply chain and material requirements.”
Oeko-Tex updates test criteria
The Oeko-Tex association has announced updated testing criteria, limit values, and certification guidelines for 2025, effective April 1, after a transition period.
The changes aim to enhance trust and sustainability in the textile and leather industries.
Notable updates include stricter leather supply chain transparency requirements under the Leather Standard to align with the European Deforestation Regulation.
Official launch for Brazil’s cattle identification plan
The Brazilian ministry of agriculture and livestock has officially launched a national plan for individual identification of cattle and buffalo.
A ceremony took place in December at the ministry’s headquarters in Brasília, with minister Carlos Fávaro, the executive president of CICB, José Fernando Bello, and CICB’s sustainability advisor Ricardo Andrade taking part.
The aim is to provide a system for the monitoring and recording of the history and location of each animal.
New training facilities for Kanpur
The Indian government has approved a state-of-the-art design studio and leather fashion training centre at the Kanpur Leather Cluster (KLC) in Unnao.
Supported by the ministry of commerce and industry and Exim Bank, the initiative aims to modernise the leather industry, which, according to local media, provides an income for nearly 200,000 families and generates an annual turnover of more than $1 billion, mostly from exports.
Equipped with 3D printers, CAD CAM and material scanners, the facilities will also offer six-month diploma courses for young people.
FILK Leatherdays call for papers
The thirteenth Leather Days conference will be held in Freiberg on May 21 and 22, 2025.
Organised by the VGCT and FILK Freiberg, the event will once again serve as a key meeting point for experts in the European tanning and leather industry. The organisers are inviting experts, researchers, and specialists to contribute to the technical content of the conference.
Topics for which they would like to receive proposals for presentations include: new and alternative technologies in leather production, advances in characterisation and analytics, the use of sustainable raw materials in tanning, innovative processing technologies, automation and machinery, artisan tanneries in the age of Industry 4.0, and new trends in applications of leather.
Denver follow-up to Dublin Declaration
Two years after the Dublin Declaration, through which more than 1,200 prominent scientists have called on policymakers to take a science-based view of animal agriculture, a second call for action has followed.
Aims of the Dublin Declaration include stopping the “widespread discreditation of meat, dairy and eggs” so that policies on food production and consumption can return to “fully evidence-based and economically and culturally appropriate guidance”.
Signatories of the document have said they observe a trend in policymaking “to deploy patronising approaches”. They say these approaches are aimed at restricting dietary choice and often involve “nudging, pressuring, and taxing consumers away from consuming proven nutrient-dense, animal-sourced foods”.
Furthermore, they say it is worrying that proposed substitutes for meat and dairy are “nutritionally incomparable” and often inadequate. These substitutes are often ultra-processed or unscalable.
Their conviction is that the Dublin Declaration has “emboldened scientists to alert policymakers and the public to the importance of basing food policy on sound scientific evidence”.
With this in mind, the core group of scientists behind the declaration chose the Second International Summit on the Societal Role of Meat and Livestock in Denver at the end of October to issue a new appeal, the Denver Call for Action.
This calls on policymakers worldwide to commit themselves “to plurality and rigour in evidence-based decision-making”.
The Denver statement says: “Meeting the massive challenge of nourishing global populations while minimising environmental harm, will only be achieved through the transparent application of the scientific method, steering clear of hubris, presumptuousness, and dogma.”
Boston right for innovation hub
Wolverine
Worldwide has opened a new 11,000-square-foot innovation hub in downtown Boston. This facility will serve as a base for the company’s design and product teams.
Chief executive, Chris Hufnagel, said Boston offered “exceptional design and footwear talent”. He said the new facility would enable the group to drive innovation and help transform it into “a consumerfocused builder of global brands”.
Urgent call for safety training in Savar tanneries
Arecent
study on the Savar BSCIC Tannery Estate in Bangladesh has called for mandatory safety training to address critical gaps in worker safety. Many workers lack adequate personal protective equipment and awareness of protocols, increasing the risks of chemical burns, respiratory issues and injuries.
The study, presented at a discussion organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Friedrich-EbertStiftung (FES) Bangladesh, recommends practical safety training, regular assessments, and refresher courses. It also highlights the need for stronger regulatory oversight, better waste management and safer machinery.
Phantom fanfare
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has unveiled a one-off version of its Phantom luxury saloon, the Phantom Dragon. It was created to celebrate Year of the Dragon, now coming to an end, but also marks the start of a year-long celebration marking 100 years of the Phantom.
In the special car, exceptional woodcraft is complemented by Ardent Red and black leathers on the seats, with the client’s family name in ancient Chinese calligraphy embroidered onto the headrests.
Martina Starke, head of bespoke design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “The Phantom Dragon highlights the importance of our presence in China. Having a dedicated team in this region gives us an understanding of, and connection to, one of the world’s most significant luxury markets.”
Leather scene
Mauro Bergozza elected President of Assomac
The chief executive of Bergi, Mauro Bergozza, has been elected president of Assomac, representing Italian tannery, footwear, and leather machinery manufacturers.
Succeeding Maria Vittoria Brustia, Mr Bergozza pledged to strengthen innovation, sustainability, and the ‘Made in Italy’ brand to tackle global competition.
New CEO for Silvateam
Chemicals
group Silvateam has announced the appointment of Max Bonzo as its new chief executive. With over 20 years of experience in a diverse range of industries, Mr Bonzo takes over from former CEO Fabrizio Donega
Ahead of the move, Mr Bonzo led JRS Silvateam Ingredients, a joint venture between the tannin group Silvateam and the German JRS Group to produce pectin and texturising systems as well as distribution of tara gum.
Former ICT president dies
Aformer president of the International Council of Tanners, Lisa Howlett, has died. Former colleagues said Ms Howlett died in November from complications following a recent surgical procedure.
She was a fifth-generation tanner and ran her family company, Auburn Leather, until 2018, when ISA TanTec integrated Auburn into the group.
Auburn Leather was established in Kentucky in 1863, specialising in leathergoods for the horse and buggy market before evolving into a producer of leather laces for footwear and sporting goods. Lisa Howlett continued working after the acquisition to help ISA TanTec continue to offer these products to customers. She decided to retire in 2021.
In 2013, she was elected chair of the Leather Industries of America, one of the component bodies that formed the Leather and Hide Council of America. She was elected as the first woman president of the International Council of Tanners in 2018 and stayed in the role until 2020.
Changes on Leather Naturally board
Dr Luis Zugno has been named chair of the Leather Naturally management board, succeeding Debbie Burton, who has stepped down after six years’ service.
Dr Zugno first joined the board in 2020 and has led educational initiatives, including a widely-used ‘Guide to Modern Leather Making’. He brings more than 30 years’ leather industry experience. He currently serves as innovation manager at Buckman
TFL names Dietrich Tegtmeyer’s successor
Leather chemicals group TFL has announced Dr Volker Rabe as its new head of industry relations and new business development. He succeeds Dr Dietrich Tegtmeyer, who retired towards the end of 2024.
Dr Rabe has been associated with the leather industry since his childhood, as his family ran a tannery for more than 130 years. After completing his PhD in chemistry in 2009, he worked at research institute FILK for two years before entering the leather chemicals sector. He has held various positions at TFL and its predecessor companies since 2012. He represents TFL on various committees of the leather industry and this year became chairman of the research commission of the IULTCS.
International and as the executive secretary of the International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies.
Leather Naturally has also announced the appointment of Dr Kerry Senior to its management board, effective immediately. Dr Senior has been the director of Leather UK since 2013. Since 2019, he has also served as secretary of the International Council of Tanners. He has extensive expertise in leather industry advocacy, sustainability and policy development.
Dr Senior’s career includes nine years at the BLC Leather Technology Centre, where he worked on research projects funded by the UK and EU to tackle environmental and raw material challenges within the leather sector.
Ecco CEO stands down
Reports indicate that Panos Mytaros has resigned as CEO of ECCO Leather, effective immediately. He has updated his LinkedIn profile to show that he is back in the Netherlands and is ‘open to work’.
In the interim, Thomas Gøgsig has been appointed as the acting CEO while the company evaluates its leadership strategy.
Mr Mytaros first joined ECCO as the tannery director in Indonesia before returning to Europe in 2002 to help establish the ECCO Leather Group in Dongen, the Netherlands. He became a board member in 2011 and took on the role of Group CEO in 2021, succeeding Steen Borgholm
Thomas Gøgsig, a third-generation member of the Gøgsig family at ECCO, has been with the company for nearly a decade. He was appointed head of applied research in 2015 and later served as Vice President and Chief of Staff in the marketing division starting in 2018.
UK beef market access could be “early trade win”
Vice-president of economic analysis at the US Meat Export Federation, Erin Borror, has said favourable conditions for shipments of US beef and pork to the UK could represent “an early trade win” for the new administration in Washington DC.
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency is due to take place at an inauguration ceremony on January 20.
Ahead of the event, Erin Borror said: “The US and the United Kingdom held significant trade talks during the first Trump administration. That could signal an opportunity for an early trade win, particularly for US beef and pork.”
She said that the UK benefits from “practically unfettered access into the US”, and called for “reciprocal access”. “We have basically no access into the UK for US beef, and that’s a $2 billion market,” Ms Borror commented.
She also pointed out that the free-trade agreement that the US already has with Mexico and Canada is up for review in 2026. She said the agreement, USMCA, negotiated in the first Trump term, had delivered tariff-free trade and minimal sanitary standards across North America.
“The trade agreement needs to be preserved and strengthened when it comes up for review,” she said.
Senior appointment at Pulcra
Leather chemicals developer Pulcra Chemicals has appointed Dr Jürgen Heck as managing director of its operations in Germany. He will be based at the company’s headquarters in Geretsried in Bavaria and will work closely with group chief executive, Bernd Schalk
Before this appointment, Dr Heck worked for 13 years at another leather chemicals company, Schill + Seilacher. He held a number of roles there and, since 2020, had been running the Schill + Seilacher site at Böbilingen, near Stuttgart.
IULTCS makes new appointments
The International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) has announced key leadership changes.
Dr Giancarlo Lovato is the new ISO IULTCS committee manager, Dr Christine Anscombe has been appointed chair of its training commission, while Simon Neifer, head of sales at Pulcra Chemicals GmbH, will serve as chair of the IULTCS liaison commission, focusing on strengthening industry collaboration.
The organisation expressed gratitude to outgoing chairs: Dr Campbell Page, Ivan Kral, and Julian Osgood for their contributions.
Change at the top at Scan-Hide and Spoor
Denmark-based wet blue manufacturer Scan-Hide and traceable finished leather supplier Spoor announced in December that Michael Søndergaard had ended his tenure as chief executive.
Scan-Hide and Spoor are part of farmer-controlled packer group Danish Crown. Mr Søndergaard is moving to a new position outside the group.
He joined Danish Crown in 2018 and became chief executive of Scan-Hide a year later. In 2019, he said the organisation was close to being able to bring to market a laser-technology based system for marking and identifying hides, enabling the group to offer traceable leather.
He explained that this would allow brands to share “the whole life-story of the animal, from farm to shoe, farm to sofa and so on”. This led, in 2020, to Spoor spinning off from Scan-Hide as the supplier of this traceable leather.
Scan-Hide has already announced his successor. Its new chief executive is Jesper Lauge Christensen, who joined on January 2. Mr Lauge Christensen has almost 25 years’ experience of the fur industry.
Bottega Veneta names creative director
Kering-owned Bottega Veneta has appointed Louise Trotter as creative director, following on from Matthieu Blazy, who has held the position for three years. Ms Trotter is currently the creative director of high-end French brand Carven, and will join Bottega Veneta at the end of January.
Leo Rongone, CEO of Bottega Veneta, said: “Louise’s aesthetic seamlessly combines exquisite design with sublime craft and her commitment to cultural advocacy aligns beautifully with our brand vision. Through her sophisticated lens, Bottega Veneta will continue to celebrate its heritage while preserving modern relevance.”
Next destination for Blazy will be Chanel
Bottega Veneta’s announcement that it has appointed Louise Trotter as its new creative director, replacing Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy, almost coincided with an announcement from Chanel that Mr Blazy is to become the artistic director for its fashion business. Chanel has explained that Mr Blazy will join during 2025 and will take responsibility for all of its accessories, haute couture and ready-to-wear collections.
The company’s chief executive, Leena Nair , described Matthieu Blazy as “one of the most gifted designers of his generation”. She said his vision and talent would “reinforce the energy of the brand”.
Leather scene
Backtrack
World Leather’s publishing cycle and limitations on space make it impossible for us to run more than a carefully selected sample of news from across the industry. However, we publish hundreds more stories on leatherbiz.com. The site is updated every day with news from every continent and every part of the industry, making leatherbiz.com one of the most comprehensive archives of news anywhere on the web for the global leather industry.
We list below just a few of the headlines that have appeared on the site in recent weeks and can still be accessed.
15 January 2025
Regional realignment for Bentley Motors
New Balance achieves record sales in 2024
14 January 2025
BMW bets on electric vehicles as sales dip
13 January 2025
Footwear group Stella welcomes growth in “higher-margin” categories
Germany reports buffalo foot-and-mouth outbreak
Jaguar commits to leather traceability through LWG membership
10 January 2025
Australian red meat exports reach record highs
09 January 2025
Europeans set to eat less beef
Key markets push US beef exports higher Gruppo Mastrotto secures ESG funding
08 January 2025
CLIA announces Moda China Fashion Fair 2025
07 January 2025
Italian fashion clusters achieve growth, in spite of leather contraction
Lloyd reveals new brand identity
06 January 2025
International appeal brings more than 40 Brazilian brands to Riva del Garda High-end brands to discover s/s 26 leathers in Scandicci
03 January 2025
Assocalzaturifici projects a 9.3% fall in revenues for 2024
Aspinal revenue rises, profits decline
02 January 2025
‘Private jet’ privacy and comfort in new Lexus people carrier
Abicalçados makes big claim about São Paulo shoe event
African buyers to make up big contingent at Riva Schuh & Gardabags
19 December 2024
A tough nine months for Assomac
Leather Working Group reviews 2024 achievements
18 December 2024
Exports of French hides, skins and leather drop in value
Cambridge Satchel sets eyes on Europe
17 December 2024
Sustainable livestock will be the focus of new European Parliament group SON urges global standards adoption
16 December 2024
Veg tannin extracts’ sales decline in Turkey Trump’s team recommends reversing electric vehicle support
13 December 2024
Hat trick and more for Boxmark
Equipment next priority for UK micro tannery
12 December 2024
US wet-salted hides are 5% cheaper than a year ago
FILK research central to new Alliance France Cuir campaign
Mixed automotive results leads to dip for Pasubio
09 December 2024
Shrinking US herd leads to job losses at Cargill
06 December 2024
Australian red meat exports surge in 2024
05 December 2024
Higg win shows leather is a sustainable material, Chiara Mastrotto says Unifying leather industry for consumer education
04 December 2024
The ‘objective choice’ is to take leather out of EUDR scope
Positive EUDR news from Brussels
LHCA endorses congressional slow fashion movement
03 December 2024
Change of address for Hermès store in Lille
Italian luggage maker believes time is right for China
02 December 2024
Supercars inspire Balenciaga collection
29 November 2024
SLF partner meeting to address key industry challenges
Spoor nominated for Global Change Award
28 November 2024
Dr Martens posts half-year loss
University of Northampton and SLG win national KTP award
Small-scale farmers could benefit from JBS’s Nigeria deal
Australian beef industry predicts windfall from US shortfalls
27 November 2024
Gucci expands leather production ownership
British Airways’ new First Class seat features leather by Muirhead
Funding secured for UK’s first micro-scale vegetable tannery for hides
Revamped leadership aims to steer Michal Kors to growth
26 November 2024
‘No winners’ as Trump promises big tariffs
Leather helps Puma sustainable materials strategy
Zschimmer & Schwarz Brazil Achieves ISO 14001 Certification
COTANCE reissues appeal for conclusion of EU-Mercosur FTA
25 November 2024
Amazon hailed as saviour of US-made leathergoods company
Kiss the Ground increases grants to boost regenerative agriculture
Scholarships for environmental law master’s programme
Quimser continues ZDHC progress
22 November 2024
Apex Tannery signs new agreements with footwear exporters
Sales demonstrate strong demand for ‘exceptional handbags’
But we also back up that talk with action. Action that ensures manufacturers and brands alike choose, and use, leather.
Through our student design competitions, we ensure our influence is found at the heart of some of the world’s biggest brands and, looking to our industry’s future, in its finest educational institutions.
Our competition winners, all designers working with leather, have gone on to join household names including Dior, Loewe, Christian Louboutin, Ulla Johnson, the TJX Companies and Jaded London.
Our judges have included leaders from brands including Hugo Boss, Mulberry, Bill Amberg, Wolverine Worldwide and Rino Mastrotto.
And the competition has inspired thousands of students and course leaders in more than 200 fashion and design colleges worldwide to look again at the best materials for the planet and its people.
We think that’s a pretty good example of real influence. Influence that is growing.
Leather Leaders: Chiara Mastrotto
Chiara Mastrotto, president of Gruppo Mastrotto, points to the benefits, especially in difficult times, of strategic investments in innovation and diversification. She says a meritocratic culture is the foundation of the group’s success, strengthening its resilience, and helping it adapt to market challenges and maintain a competitive advantage.
Informed choices
Gruppo Mastrotto recently highlighted that 30% of group employees are women and that 50% of the group’s executives and board members are women. In your opinion, what are the main advantages that this brings to the group?
We believe that the foundation of success lies in a meritocratic culture. Regardless of gender, we focus on identifying and promoting talent based on skills, achievements, effort and potential. Such an approach not only promotes fairness but also nurtures an environment in which the best ideas thrive, leading to superior outcomes. The significant presence of women across all levels of Gruppo Mastrotto, and particularly in executive and board roles, strengthens the organisation in multiple ways. A balanced representation fosters a more inclusive and equitable work culture, where diverse perspectives drive creativity and innovation. This diversity improves decision-making, as women often bring complementary viewpoints and approaches to problem-solving. Moreover, it encourages collaboration and builds stronger team dynamics.
What benefits does it bring with regard to your standing with external partners?
Beyond these internal benefits, it also resonates with our external stakeholders. It signals to clients, partners and our communities that Gruppo Mastrotto prioritises progressive values and leads by example in an industry in which women are still underrepresented. This differentiates us and also allows us to attract and retain top talent, enabling us to respond more effectively to complex challenges in a rapidly evolving market.
What advice do you give when people ask you (as they frequently do) how more women can become business leaders, especially in the leather industry?
My advice begins with recognising the critical need both for individual effort and systemic support. Women aspiring to leadership roles must cultivate resilience and confidence, but they also need access to environments that actively support their growth. In my experience, breaking into leadership in a male-dominated sector requires persistence and the ability to continuously learn and adapt. Building strong networks, both within and outside the industry, is invaluable for gaining insights, mentorship, and advocacy. At an organisational level, companies must implement policies and initiatives to actively address gender imbalances, ensuring all employees are given equal opportunities to succeed. Furthermore, fostering a culture that values diverse leadership styles and actively challenges stereotypes is essential. In the leather industry, specifically, showcasing successful female leaders is a powerful way to inspire change and encourage more women to pursue careers in the sector.
Offering a range of leathers for customers in different industries is complex, but also provides resilience when times are tough.
ALL CREDITS: GRUPPO MASTROTTO
UNIC warned recently that the market momentum for Italian leather manufacturers was “extremely negative” after two difficult years. What grounds for optimism do you see for 2025?
The national trend indeed confirms a challenging situation, with a significant decline in customer orders. This reflects broader market dynamics, including increasing competition and shifting consumer preferences. However, at Gruppo Mastrotto, we have managed to counteract this downturn through strategic investments in innovation and diversification, reinforcing our resilience and adapting to market challenges to maintain a competitive edge. While the overall outlook for the industry remains cautious, a positive factor is the enduring global recognition of Italian leather for its unparalleled quality, especially in the premium and luxury segments. This reputation positions us favourably to continue collaborating with leading brands in fashion, automotive and
interior design. These partnerships, coupled with our ongoing focus on excellence and innovation, give us confidence in navigating the uncertainties ahead, and leveraging opportunities as they arise.
After the global leather industry secured fairer treatment from the Higg Material Sustainability Index, you said this would help highlight that leather is a sustainable material. What are the main arguments you usually present when trying to convince people outside the industry that leather is sustainable?
Leather is one of the most compelling examples of sustainability in materials, directly supporting the principles of the circular economy. As a by-product of the food and dairy industry, its production prevents organic waste from ending up in landfills, turning it instead into a long-lasting and versatile material. Every year, tanneries globally recover more
than 8 million tonnes of raw hides, preventing the emission of approximately 5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases that would result if these hides were discarded as waste. Furthermore, leather’s durability significantly reduces waste compared to plant-based alternatives, which often degrade quickly and require frequent replacement. In communicating these facts, we also address misconceptions about synthetic substitutes, which rely on petroleum-based plastics that have a high environmental cost. We emphasise that genuine leather is biodegradable and aligns with consumer values of sustainability and longevity. I strongly believe that it is crucial for brands and the industry to educate consumers transparently about these aspects, ensuring they make informed choices.
What is the Circular Fashion Manifesto?
The Circular Fashion Manifesto, promoted by the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, is a commitment to transforming the fashion industry by embedding principles of circularity across the entire value chain, from
“ Our broad market presence is a strategic asset, enabling us to remain at the forefront of the global leather industry.”
design and production to consumption and recycling. Gruppo Mastrotto’s participation underscores our dedication to sustainable innovation. A notable example is our collaboration with footwear brand Tod’s, the One Next Step project, which features in the programme. This project aims to develop a new eco-design protocol for footwear products. This initiative focuses on evaluating all of the material used in footwear, determining key performance indicators (KPIs) for sustainability. For this project, Gruppo Mastrotto developed a specialised leather that meets exceptionally technical requirements, while maintaining optimal CO2 emission performance and full traceability, ensuring the highest standards of durability and transparency.
In what way can the Circular Fashion Manifesto help emphasise the sustainability credentials of leather?
By engaging in such collaborative efforts, we not only showcase leather’s environmental potential but also strengthen the industry’s narrative as a leader in sustainable practices. Aligning with the Circular Fashion Manifesto allows us to reinforce leather’s role as a cornerstone of a truly sustainable fashion system, promoting transparency and innovation throughout the product development process.
Gruppo Mastrotto has customers in a wide variety of industries: footwear, interior design, automotive, furniture, et cetera. What are the biggest challenges in serving such a diverse range of customers? What are the advantages of having so many different areas to focus on?
Yes, serving a diverse clientele comes with the complexity of meeting varied demands. Each industry has unique requirements in terms of material specifications, performance standards and design preferences. For example, automotive clients prioritise durability and safety, while fashion brands often focus on aesthetics and trend alignment. This necessitates a flexible and highly specialised approach to production, alongside a commitment to consistent quality and innovation. However, this diversity is also a significant advantage. It provides resilience against market fluctuations, as a downturn in one sector can often be offset by stability or growth in another. Additionally, working across industries fosters cross-fertilisation of ideas and technological advancements. Insights gained in one sector, such as advanced material treatments for automotive interiors, can inspire innovations in others, like highperformance leathers for furniture. For Gruppo Mastrotto, this broad market presence is a strategic asset, enabling us to remain at the forefront of the global leather industry.
President of Gruppo Mastrotto, Chiara Mastrotto.
NTE Mimosa is the world’s best selling vegetable tannin. Produced from sustainablysourced, community grown black wattle in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, NTE Mimosa has been behind the world’s finest natural leather since 1920.
From the bark of the acacia mearnsii tree to the world’s most beautiful leather
Whole hide buffing technology with precision and efficiency
The new iteration of the Sigma roller buffing machine claims an exciting advance in the automotive and upholstery leather production industry. As one of the first through-feed buffing machines designed for whole hides, it combines innovative technology drawing on years of expertise in buffing. Named Sigma, inspired by the mathematical symbol for summation, its Italian manufacturer Bergi says it embodies the machine’s purpose of uniting a range of pioneering features into one cohesive system, with an emphasis on enhancing performance, operational safety, and efficiency. Is Sigma set to redefine what’s possible in leather processing, addressing many of the challenges faced by traditional buffing machines?
The Sigma machine has undergone a comprehensive redesign, drawing inspiration from traditional machinery to enhance stability and precision during operation. It now features upgraded motors, available in a standard 45 kW version or an optional 55 kW configuration, providing superior control and optimised energy efficiency. A larger holding roller has also been introduced, simplifying the leather insertion process while improving buffing quality and overall operational efficiency.
It is equipped with proprietary BOS software, which enables users to manage and store working parameters while offering highly customisable process control. This innovative software also supports remote diagnostics and servicing, streamlining maintenance and improved user experience. Additionally, Bergi has redesigned the Sigma to be fully compatible with Industry 5.0 equipment, ensuring seamless integration with cutting-edge technologies and future advances.
Maintenance and safety
Maintenance has been streamlined with a pneumatic opening system that ensures swift and easy access to internal components, significantly reducing downtime. Additionally, the transport roller design has been optimised for quick, safe, and hassle-free replacement.
The Sigma sets new benchmarks in safety with its reinforced construction, offering enhanced durability and reliability. A standout safety feature is its innovative leather take-up system, which moves the transport roller unit automatically, eliminating the need for manual table adjustments. This design not only minimises risks for operators but also boosts overall efficiency and ease of use.
The Sigma machine offers a range of optional features designed to refine its functionality and meet diverse operational requirements:
• 55 kW motor for increased power and performance.
• Industry 5.0 compatibility for seamless integration with modern technologies.
• Variable-speed buffing roller for flexibility in specialised processes.
• Automatic holding blade with photocell for consistent precision.
• Leather straightener with a choice of pneumatic bar or helical roller for better leather alignment.
• Suction system under the exit conveyor for better cleanliness and airflow.
• Exit monitoring camera for real-time leather exit observation.
• Ionising bar to reduce static electricity and enhance handling.
• Cooling systems for the buffing roller, helping to extend paper life and prevent overheating.
With its advanced features, the Sigma machine aims to set new standards in leather processing. Its combination of innovative technologies and practical design positions it as a valuable tool for manufacturers seeking to optimise performance and quality in roller buffing applications.
Nick Winters Hides & Skins division is a leading supplier of quality European Hides & Skins with a rigorous selection process since 1992.
With operations in France, Ireland, Italy and the UK, we service the most demanding tanneries worldwide.
We are part of the Bigard group, one of the largest meat companies in Europe, processing 26,000 cattle, 120,000 pigs, 20,000 lambs and 4,500 veals weekly.
We also own the largest wetblue tannery in France. CET can process up to 500 tonnes of raw hides per week.
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● CALFS AND KIPSKINS ● PREMIUM DAIRY COWS ● SHEEPS AND LAMBSKINS
● SALTED CROUPONS
● SHOULDERS & BELLIES ● WETBLUE AND WETWHITE HIDES
ALL
Digital transformation in leather manufacture: Ensuring quality and compliance
The leather industry is undergoing significant changes, driven by increasingly stringent global regulations and evolving market demands. The extension of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) compliance deadline to December 2025 provides manufacturers with an opportunity to refine strategies and adopt advanced technologies. This additional time allows for the development of systems that not only meet regulatory requirements but also improve competitiveness and operational efficiency. Based in New Zealand, Mindhive Global supports this transformation through precision quality assessment solutions, integrating AI and optical technologies into automated grading systems that align with the evolving needs of the industry.
Leather manufacturing has undergone significant changes over the past decade, as it moves further away from an artisanal craft to a more advanced, technology-driven process. This has been driven by advances in automation, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. Mindhive Global, founded in 2011 with the aim of transforming industrial challenges through innovation, has played a key role in this development by integrating machine vision and AI-driven systems into automated leather grading. As a result, tanneries such as Bader, Crest Leather, and Tasman Tanning have reported improvements in product quality and operational efficiency.
The foresight to digitise quality assessment is proving to be a crucial advantage as the industry faces increasing regulatory scrutiny. Accurate, verifiable quality data forms the backbone of reliable traceability systems. Many solutions prioritise tracking leather origins; however, Mindhive emphasises that the effectiveness of traceability systems relies on the quality of the underlying data. By concentrating on precision and standardisation, the company aims to ensure that its solutions address the requirements of quality assurance and traceability, thereby establishing a comprehensive framework for compliance and operational excellence
High resolution imaging,aided by direct LED lighting, of wet blue hides exiting the samming process.
CREDITS: MINDHIVE GLOBAL
Digital grading: A catalyst for credible traceability
The industry currently requires a high level of speed, precision, and documentation due to market expectations and regulatory requirements. Mindhive’s automated grading technology demonstrates the capabilities of advanced tools in addressing these demands. The system is capable of processing up to 360 hides per hour, achieving a grading accuracy of over 91%, which is a significant improvement compared to traditional manual inspection methods.
The system is distinguished by its capability to generate detailed, highresolution digital records for each hide processed. This includes the detailed capture and categorisation of defects, facilitating thorough quality documentation. The system provides verifiable proof of the grading process and allows data to accompany each hide throughout its supply chain journey. When paired with unique serial numbers, this system supports complete traceability, promoting transparency and trust at every stage.
Digitising quality data unlocks a host of benefits for manufacturers, including:
• Uniform grading standards across multiple production facilities, reducing variability.
• Objective and consistent evaluation of supplier performance based on data.
• Real-time production insights that enable swift adjustments and process optimisation.
• Verified quality claims that enhance customer confidence and satisfaction.
This robust data infrastructure lays the groundwork for addressing the industry’s increasingly complex traceability challenges, ensuring that manufacturers remain competitive and compliant in a rapidly changing landscape.
Bridging quality assurance and traceability
The integration of quality assessment and traceability systems is not without its challenges. It requires careful planning and execution, focusing on three primary areas:
1. Data integration
• Seamless communication between grading systems, marking technologies, and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) platforms.
• Standardisation of data formats to ensure compatibility across diverse systems.
• Real-time synchronisation across geographically distributed production sites.
• Secure, cloud-based data storage that ensures accessibility and longterm security.
2. Process adaptation
• Optimisation of workflows to incorporate automated assessment and grading processes.
• Comprehensive training programmes to equip staff with the skills to interpret and use digital systems.
Clear, visual explanation of grading/selection and creation of detailed defect maps with quality area identification can be generated to fit customer specific requirements.
• Establishing clear standard operating procedures for data validation and handling exceptions.
3. Compliance documentation
• Automated generation of detailed traceability reports.
• Integration of traceability systems with reporting platforms.
• Creation of digital audit trails that provide transparency for inspections and certifications.
• Secure mechanisms for sharing traceability data with supply chain partners.
Mindhive’s solutions provide quality grading and integrates with marking technologies that connect grading data to physical identifiers. This approach facilitates end-to-end traceability throughout the production cycle, including intermediate processes such as wet-blue tanning, while ensuring the preservation of data integrity.
Addressing technical and operational challenges
Implementing advanced grading and traceability systems requires manufacturers to adopt a structured and methodical approach. The comprehensive framework addresses key technical and operational considerations, ensuring a smooth transition to these next-generation systems:
1. Production integration
• Installation that works alongside existing sammying machines, splitters, or conveyors without disrupting operations.
• Preservation of production line speeds to avoid any bottlenecks.
• User interfaces designed with local languages to accommodate global teams.
• Minimal production downtime during installation through efficient deployment strategies.
2. System architecture
• High-speed local data processing with resilience to internet outages for continuous operations.
• Durable, stainless-steel equipment designed to withstand harsh tannery environments.
• Hardware components to ensure system reliability and prevent downtime.
• Accessibility to hide data through the Mindhive Cloud or the tannery’s existing ERP systems.
3. Operational continuity
• Consistent system uptime, with real-time monitoring through dedicated dashboards.
• Predictive maintenance powered by automated remote monitoring to address potential issues proactively.
• Around-the-clock technical support and regular software updates to keep systems up-to-date and efficient.
By addressing these aspects, manufacturers can ensure the successful adoption and integration of digital grading systems while maintaining operational efficiency and consistency.
Seizing the opportunity for a sustainable future
The extended EUDR timeline presents an opportunity for manufacturers to adopt innovative technologies and create an operational framework that is adaptable for the future. Embracing digital transformation, including advanced grading and traceability systems, could enable the leather industry to achieve:
• Compliance with emerging regulatory requirements.
• Improved operational efficiency and minimised variability across production sites.
• Enhanced customer trust through verifiable quality and traceability.
• A basis for ongoing improvement and long-term sustainability.
Utilising such solutions might assist manufacturers in meeting compliance deadlines and positioning themselves effectively in the leather manufacturing industry.
COLOURS BY LANGRO
ALL CREDITS: ZÜND
Innovation in digital leather processing
Swiss-based cutting technology provider Zünd recently unveiled further innovative solutions for the leather industry, showcasing advances in automation, precision, and workflow efficiency. These, including the compact G3 cutter and augmented reality (AR)-assisted interactive nesting, mark significant progress in the adoption of smart factory principles in wider leather processing. With a focus on digitisation and sustainability, they continue to redefine production standards in an industry that balances tradition with technological skill.
The introduction of interactive nesting using augmented reality (AR) demonstrates the transformative potential of digital tools in leather processing. Described by Zünd as “an interactive experience that augments the real world with computer-generated perceptual information and combines the physical environment with virtual elements”, AR has been widely adopted in industries, such as gaming, training, and manufacturing, and its application in the wider leather handling industries addresses the unique challenges of working with natural materials, including irregularities, variable textures, and treated surfaces.
Using AR glasses, operators can visualise leather hides and position parts in real-time. This patented workflow, developed in collaboration with its software partner Mind, incorporates manual nesting techniques. Operators can rotate, arrange, and place parts to maximise material
utilisation while following specific nesting criteria. Katrin Dotzauer, Zünd's global market manager for furniture, fashion, and outdoor, shared insights with World Leather about this technology, particularly in relation to the luxury leathergoods sector. She noted that AR systems are generating significant interest, as the ability to picture the production process in real-time is viewed as a valuable enhancement to ensuring quality. She highlights that, although the AR process may be slower than fully automated digital nesting systems, the leathergoods market often uses more expensive hides in their production. As a result, physically marking materials for fault detection is not always preferred. By adopting augmented reality, users can maximise material efficiency while still maintaining quality. As noted, an additional benefit of the AR system is, unlike traditional projection systems, which
The lightweight headset allows the user to visualise the work environment where virtual elements are projected into their field of view.
often struggle with reflective or treated surfaces, AR excels in such conditions, providing precise placement and minimising material waste. With high gloss hides and skins such as patent leather or glazed crocodile skins, projected imagery is often “invisible” and whilst some laser systems can be used, the stability of the outlines are often problematic.
At the 2024 SIMAC exhibition, Zünd demonstrated the abilities of AR in conjunction with the G3 cutter, a compact yet versatile machine tailored to the specific demands of leathergoods processing. Featuring a 227 x 280 cm (89 x 110 inches) working area, the G3 cutter combines precision with practicality, making it ideal for working with mediumsized hides and, despite its modest footprint, the system is designed to streamline the entire workflow, from nesting and cutting to parts removal.
The cutter operates using a three-zone process, dividing the workflow into sections for loading, cutting, and removal. This arrangement allows simultaneous operations, enabling new hides to be loaded and graded while finished parts are removed, without interruption to the cutting process, and boosting overall productivity by minimising downtime and optimising resource use. Controlled via Mind software, the system ensures centralised management of tasks and supports up to three tools, providing the flexibility needed for a range of leather handling applications.
Nesting information is digitally re-created to give visual information that integrates the physical environment with virtual components.
The G3 cutter combines precision with practicality, making it ideal for working with medium-sized hides and is designed to streamline the entire workflow, from nesting and cutting to parts removal.
Advancing automation with leather grading
In a move to further digitise leather processing, the Swiss company has also recently announced a partnership with Mindhive Global, a leader in automated leather grading. This collaboration aims to develop high-speed, precision grading solutions for finished leather. Automated grading offers consistent quality, a key requirement for industries such as furniture, automotive interiors, footwear and luxury goods. By integrating Mindhive’s grading technology with its cutting systems, Zünd hopes to reinforce its position as a total solutions provider for the leather industry.
Towards a smart factory for leather processing
Zünd’s innovations align with the broader industry shift towards smart factory principles, where automation, data integration, and intelligent systems drive efficiency and sustainability. In the leather industry, this transformation involves streamlining traditional processes, minimising material waste, as well as the precision required for premium products.
By combining compact yet versatile cutting solutions like the G3 cutter with digital tools such as AR-assisted nesting and automated grading, Zünd is enabling leather manufacturers to embrace this new landscape, catering to both high-volume production and specialised luxury markets.
DyTan - a very modern leather-making process
Driven by regulatory requirements, marketing considerations, and ongoing innovation within the industry, alternative methods for leather production are continually being developed. This paper examines the DyTan leather production process, a novel reactive tanning system that is suitable for a variety of leather applications. It does not involve aldehydes, bisphenols, or metal salts. Instead, collagen fibres are covalently cross-linked using non-hazardous chemicals in a simplified, low-temperature process. The paper explores the potential of this alternative tanning approach, evaluates the efficiency of the production process, and analyses the impact of process parameters on leather properties during production and throughout its service life.
The development of the DyTan technology has been a collaborative effort between Trumpler, Archroma (Huntsman) and Dr Leather Ltd. It offers a viable technical commercial alternative to the production of existing metal-free and chrome tanned leather 2,3. Among its advantages, the tanning process does not require additional tanning or stabilising agents.
Using well-established chemicals, the tanning agent is globally available, easy to store and simple to handle. Among its other attributes, the tanned material, as a stable intermediate, can be transported globally, is easily rewettable and supports the production of a diverse range of leathers. With strong physical properties, it has a high bio-based content, along with notable biodegradation and composting rates. DyTan achieves excellent aesthetics, although the final properties of the leather will also significantly depend on the retanning and finishing chemicals used in the process.
The chemistry behind DyTan
As explained by Dr. Benjamin Autenrieth from Trumpler, the reactive tannage is accomplished through sulfonyl ethylbased molecules, particularly developed for leather production, and registered under the trade names Dytan and Avicuero 4 (Figure 1). DyTan and Avicuero products essentially represent a class of multifunctional reactive dyes designed for the tannage of leather.
Sulfonyl ethyl-based reactive dyes are crucial auxiliaries and are globally used in multi-ton scale in the textile and wool industry 5,6,7,8 and their production, availability, storage and use of these substances has been well established for many decades, making them suitable for leather industry products. Upon activation (as detailed below) the products use vinyl sulphone anchors to crosslink collagen fibres. The tanning agents are synthesised using well established and commonly used chemical building blocks to produce
Solubilisation
Reactive Group
Schematic structure of the tanning agents in Avicuero and DyTan products featuring solubilising groups, masked reactive groups and tuneable molecule cores.
industrial dyes which are assessed for safety by the US EPA and German BfR. The active ingredients of the tanning agents have been registered under REACH and the toxicological tests confirm no concerns for human health, reflected in the safety data sheet.
The structure of the tanning agents (Figure 1) exhibits a key feature that makes these products unique and versatile: the properties of the tanning agents can be adjusted based on the chemical nature of the molecular core. In addition to intrinsic reactivity, the most notable characteristic is the colour of the tanning agent, which is determined by the specific molecular core. Coloured tanning agents enable simultaneous tanning and dyeing, producing tanned material with defined optical properties (Figure 2). This approach enhances colour fastness and significantly reduces the need for conventional dyestuffs. By combining tanning and dyeing in a single step, this method also decreases production complexity and process time.
Molecule cores (Chromophore)
Figure 1
DyTan - a very modern leather-making process
Tanning process
Available as powder products that solubilise well in water and can be added directly to the float, the basic methodology of the DyTan process is a pH-controlled tannage through covalent crosslinking of collagen fibres.
No reaction occurs at acidic and neutral pH where the products feature sulfatoethyl functionalities (Figures 1 and 3) Increasing the pH activates the molecule, leading to the formation of reactive vinyl sulphone groups that can react with amino functionalities in collagen, with lysine, histidine, and tyrosine being the preferred reaction partners9 (Figures 3 and 4). Any excess tanning agent hydrolyses under aqueous conditions, forming soluble, non-hazardous by-products that can be efficiently removed from the leather during subsequent washing steps7
Figure 5 illustrates the DyTan tanning process compared to glutaraldehyde and chrome tannages. The process begins with a penetration phase at neutral pH, during which the tanning agent evenly distributes across the hide’s cross-section. To ensure effective penetration, thorough ammonia-free deliming and bating are recommended, followed by an adequate washing step. It is essential to completely remove alkalinity throughout the hide's crosssection for optimal results.
Following the penetration phase, the tanning agent is activated by gradually increasing the pH through the stepwise addition of a suitable base, such as soda ash or
Sulfatoethyl-: precursor good water solubility
Vinyl-: reactive poor water solubility
Crosslinking of
Hydroxyethyl-: non-reactive
DyTan and Avicuero tanning agents at different pH ranges: soluble and non-reactive (acidic to neutral, top); b) reactive (alkaline, middle); c) hydrolysed (bottom).
Figure 2
Predefined by the intrinsic properties of the tanning agent, the dye shade of the leather is individually adjustable, enabling brilliant colour depth and outstanding migration and abrasion resistance at the same time.
From left to right a black, an orange, a blue and a colourless tanning agent are used to tan cow hide.
Figure 3
Figure 4
sodium bicarbonate. During the activation phase, reactive vinyl sulphone groups are formed, as shown in Figures 3 and 5
Irreversible tanning is achieved during the fixation phase, which occurs when approximately pH9 is reached and is held for several hours. For efficient fungicidal protection and subsequent retanning processes, the pH is lowered to the standard range used in chrome or glutaraldehyde tannages by adding formic acid. The pH decrease across the tanned material's cross-section can be monitored using bromocresol green. The covalent crosslinking achieved through the process results in tanned skins and hides with excellent hydrothermal stability without requiring auxiliary syntans. Shrinkage temperatures exceeding 70°C are attained, enabling efficient samming and shaving. Furthermore, the covalent crosslinking ensures that the tanned material can be shipped and stored for extended periods without compromising quality.
Resultant leather
Hides tanned using the DyTan process have proven to be ideal intermediates for producing a wide range of metal-free leathers. A notable characteristic of the tanned material is its clarity, which reflects the intrinsic colour of the tanning agent or, in the case of colourless agents, a near-white appearance (Figure 2)
It is claimed that crust tanned leathers exhibit exceptionally brilliant and uniform dyeing and when using colourless tanning agents such as DyTan TC28 or Avicuero TR22, pastel shades and vibrant colours can be achieved. The process also delivers excellent dye bath exhaustion, reducing the required dyestuff during retanning. Conversely, when coloured tanning agents, like Avicuero Black SL, are used, the intermediate material features a consistent dye throughout the crosssection, making it particularly advantageous for perforated leathers or items with visible cuts.
Since the colour is chemically bonded to the collagen structure, the leather demonstrates excellent wash and abrasion fastness. This reduces or eliminates the need for additional dyeing steps, with only a top dyeing step required, if necessary. The reduced reliance on dyestuffs and fewer retanning steps result in savings in process time, material usage, and overall costs.
pH-controlled DyTan tannage (vinyl sulphone) in comparison to glutaraldehyde and chrome tannage.
Composting of DyTan tanned cow hide according to DIN EN ISO 2020011. Tannage with 3.5% Avicuero TR22, shrinkage temperature: 76°C. Each three specimens feature a moisture content of 50% and 5%, respectively. Full disintegration is observed in all cases. Composting was performed at FILK Test Institute Germany.
Day: 0
Day: 50
Figure 5
Figure 7
Figure 6
Industrial composting of DyTan based crust leather. Tannage with 3.5% Avicuero TR22: sheep skin (white), cow split (brown, beige), cow full substance (black, red, grey, blue, light blue). Composting was performed in Tradebe’s composting plant in Jorba, Barcelona.
The tanned material and the shavings are biodegradable10 and compostable (Figure 6) . Additionally, enzymatic hydrolysis of the tanned material enables the recovery and reuse of potential waste as a resource for applications such as bio-based retanning agents.
DyTan tanned hides are ideal intermediates for the production of compostable crust leathers (Figure 7) that feature exceptionally high bio-based carbon contents and at the same time fulfil the highest technical requirements.
Summary
DyTan, free from metal salts and reactive aldehydes, is suitable for various leather applications, including garments, footwear, automotive interiors, and furniture upholstery. The pH-controlled tanning process is conducted at low temperatures without requiring a traditional pickle step, using standard chemicals in a simplified procedure. Coloured DyTan and Avicuero products produce intermediate materials with tailored dye shades and high migration and abrasion fastness, reducing the need for conventional dyestuffs and retanning steps.
The DyTan process supports the production of leather with a high bio-based content, along with enhanced biodegradability and composting properties, meeting sustainability requirements for tanneries and brands.
References
1 DyTan® - registered trademark by Trumpler GmbH & Co. KG, DYTAN, A World Intellectual Property Organization Trademark of
2. Cassingham, D.M., Roentgen, G., Tzikas, A., WO 2019/158341 A1 – Process for the simultaneous tanning and dyeing of collagen containing fibrous material.
3. Cassingham, D.M., Fekete, L., Nicollet, M., Graciet, J.-C., Roentgen, G., WO 2022/136403 A1 – Use of reactive protein cross-linking agents for crosslinking protein-containing substrates and processes for tanning and dyeing of leather.
4. Avicuero® - registered trademark by Huntsman Textile Effects (Switzerland) GmbH, AVICUERO Trademark Application of Huntsman Advanced Materials (Switzerland) GMBH - Serial Number 97099875 :: Justia Trademarks.
5. Heyna, J., Schumacher, W., DE 965902, "Verfahren zum Fixieren wasserloeslicher organischer Verbindungen auf Unterlagen faseriger Struktur", issued 1957-09-19, assigned to Hoechst AG.
6. Siegel, E., "Reactive Groups". In K. Venkataraman (ed.). The Chemistry of Synthetic Dyes. Vol. VI., 1972, New York; London: Academic Press. p. 36.
7. Rattee, I.D., "Reactive Dyes – Physicochemical Aspects of Dye Fixation and Dye-Fibre Bond Hydrolysis", in K. Venkataraman (ed.), The Chemistry of Synthetic Dyes, Vol. VIII., 1978, New York, London: Academic Press, pp. 2 ff., ISBN 0-12-717008-1
8. Hunger, K., "3. Dye Classes For Principle Applications", in Industrial Dyes: Chemistry, Properties, Applications. 2003, Weinheim: WILEYVCH Verlag. pp. 113, 117–118. ISBN 978-3-662-01950-4.
9. Concluded from the comparison of the amino acid profiles of delimed cow hide and DyTan® tanned hide.
10. ISO 20136:2020 / IULTCS/IUC 37 – Leather - Determination of degradability by micro-organisms, ICS: 59.140.30.
11. ISO 20200:2023 – Plastics - Determination of the degree of disintegration of plastic materials under composting conditions in a laboratory-scale test, ICS: 83.080.01.
From materials through the stages of design and production
The Fundamentals of Footwear provides a clear understanding of what is involved in the production of footwear, illustrates the complexities of the industry, and guides the reader through the manufacturing process. It properly starts with an analysis of the foot, its structure and changing size and shape through life, and then follows every step on the way from choosing the right materials and designs, to completing the finished footwear.
Compiled and edited by an acknowledged shoe expert with over fifty years of personal experience in the industry, it is essential reading for anyone involved with or entering the global footwear chain, from designer to manufacturer, to the retailer and to the twenty-first century consumer who wants a better understanding of that indispensable item of apparel: the shoe.
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DyTan
Leather and the circular economy
Credit: WTP/Flaticon
Higg’s leather turnaround
Acombined data submission by consultancy Spin360, multi-stakeholder initiative The Leather Working Group (LWG) and promotion body Leather Naturally has been adopted as a new average for bovine leather by the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI). MSI is a tool that the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (now called Cascale) launched in 2012 and is used by fashion companies to make decisions on materials sourcing, encompassing more than 40,000 brands and manufacturers. The new dataset, included in the October 2024 update of the MSI, resulted in the environmental impacts of bovine leather being between 55% and 67% lower than the previous MSI value. The global warming potential, which previously showed an impact of 36.8 points on the scale, has been reduced by 60% to 14.6 points.
“We are proud to see our combined LCA data integrated into the Higg MSI update,” says Christina Trautmann, director of sustainability at LWG. “This milestone underscores the significant advancements in sustainable leather production and reaffirms our dedication to responsible industry practices.”
This “significant shift” will promote a more nuanced understanding of bovine leather as a sustainable material choice, said the organisations, after many years of campaigning by the leather industry for the Higg to alter its values. The argument was that the index could put natural materials at a disadvantage, not least because it covered cradle
Data provided by the Leather Working Group, Leather Naturally and Spin360 has resulted in a significant revision of figures for leather on the Materials Sustainability Index.
to gate (ie not taking into account a material’s impact after the manufacturing stage); leather’s durability being one of its key advantages in terms of producing long-lasting products.
In 2020, leather industry bodies, including the International Council of Tanners, the Leather and Hide Council of America and COTANCE, requested that Cascale suspend leather’s MSI score due to “inappropriate methodologies” and “out-of-date, unrepresentative, inaccurate and incomplete data” that had led to leather being burdened with a disproportionately high score. “This has led to a negative perception of leather that does not reflect its sustainable, circular nature,” Dr Kerry Senior, then secretary of the International Council of Tanners, said at the time. “On the basis of current Higg score, manufacturers are deselecting leather in favour of fossil fuel-derived,
synthetic products.” Cascale did not suspend
unsustainable
Leather uses renewable raw materials Waste from other sectors (meat and dairy) is the input for making leather The material is long-lastingLeather products are eminently repairable
is in keeping with sustainable consumption and sustainable production and, thus, supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Use of leather aids the battle against marine pollution, also part of the SDGs
The leather industry opens up pathways into the circular economy for companies of all sizes, including many thousands of small and medium enterprises
Leather content fulfils finished product manufacturers’ desire to use recycled material
Finished products made from leather will meet criteria for green tax relief and for green procurement exercises
Leather manufacturing supports green employment commitments
Higg’s leather turnaround
the score, but opened consultations.
These views persisted. Kerry Brozyna, president of the Leather and Hide Council of America, suggested in September that the figures had also unfairly affected consumer attitudes towards leather. Despite a substantial fall in hide prices over recent years, low consumer demand for leather means there has been no turnaround in the industry’s fortunes. “There are many factors that affect this,” Mr Brozyna said, “but the Higg definitely contributed.”
Global value
In 2023, Cascale asked consultancy KPMG to review the Higg Index suite of tools. The review identified the need to integrate the Higg MSI with the Higg Product Module (PM) and improve the quality of data. The experts also suggested implementing warnings to avoid inappropriate comparisons and provide better documentation for the scope definition of the LCA. To address the issues, SAC began to work with various stakeholders.
For the leather industry, the turning point was a body of work submitted by Spin360 that included data from 45 manufacturing facilities across 18 countries and evaluated 92 leather products, aiming to provide a global representation of bovine leather. It also encompassed information from the footwear, automotive, leathergoods and upholstery sectors. From this, the values were revised, with reductions across every Higg MSI category – global warming potential, eutrophication, water scarcity, abiotic depletion and chemistry – ranging from 55% to 67%.
“ While anyone can submit a new dataset to the Higg MSI that is attributable to their company, our aim was to update the global default value for leather,” Debbie Burton, director of communications at Leather Working Group, tells World Leather. “Ultimately, the size of the dataset at 92 specific leather articles, as well as the geographical and technical representativeness of the dataset, were the main attributes of this work for the sector and for Cascale, providing more accurate data for a global average. Spin360 used a bottom-up approach in which all the different process steps in the production of the 92 finished leather articles were analysed in detail through the Leather Naturally and LWG projects as part of a combined dataset.”
“This milestone underscores the significant advancements in sustainable leather production.”
CHRISTINA TRAUTMANN, LWG
Better representation
The revision is hoped to more fairly inform sourcing decisions, particularly for natural materials. In its autumn 2024 update, Higg also revised its figures for cotton, after working with 13 cotton associations. “While the Higg index clearly advises users not to compare different materials (for example, leather versus cotton) and instead encourages comparisons within the same material category (eg, chrome-tanned versus glutaraldehydetanned leather), the practice of crossmaterial comparison remains,” says Leather Naturally. “Consequently, it was crucial to provide design and sourcing teams with the most reliable and comprehensive data available. Although there is still room for improvement, this dataset offers a clearer and more accurate picture than ever before.”
Federico Brugnoli, CEO of Spin360, added, “Like other LCA databases, the Higg database serves as a resource for companies that lack primary data from their suppliers. While relying on secondary data is certainly not ideal for brands aiming to accurately assess the impact of their products, it remains a common practice due to the limited
availability of primary LCA data. In this context, achieving a 'better representation' of leather's impact has been – and continues to be – crucial, to ensure the scientific reliability of the figures within these datasets."
Users of the index can now select impacts according to which tanneries they source from, in some cases. These tanneries include ISA TanTec, PrimeAsia, Sadesa, Tong Hong and Youngil Leather.
Among those celebrating the revision was Chiara Mastrotto, CEO of Italian leather manufacturing group Gruppo Mastrotto (see Leather Leaders). She said the three leather industry organisations deserved congratulations for their “excellent and data-driven work and analysis” and that the development marked “a crucial step in the fight against global warming”. “It is encouraging to see the leather industry taking strides toward a more sustainable future, promoting responsible sourcing and production practices that protect people and the planet,” she added.
“This is a significant step forward,” Mr Brugnoli concluded, “as an important player has recognised that LCA primary data, obtained with verified methodologies, can have a positive global impact for the leather industry.”
The Air Jordan Mid Subway is made with water-resistant leathers for durability. Designers and sourcing professionals will be able to make more informed decisions about leather when using the Higg suite of tools. Credit: Nike
According to expert analyst Claudia D’Arpizio, luxury leathergoods brands will do well to emphasise the “emotional experience” involved in owning beautiful products made from the most circular material in the world.
Put it down to experience
Altagamma, the association that promotes luxury brands producing in Italy, held the 2024 edition of its Observatory event in Milan in November. This was the twenty-third edition, which analyses the situation in the global luxury industry. It is an industry that seems to have delivered a litany of confidence-lowering results in 2024, although positive ideas emerged from the event too.
Full-year figures for 2024 were unavailable at the time of writing, but results for the first nine months of the year from the most high-profile groups paint a mixed picture, at best. The leathergoods division of LVMH achieved revenues of €29.9 billion for the nine-month period, down by 3% year on year. Kering reported total revenues of €12.8 billion, a fall of 12% compared to the same period in 2023. The figures for Kering’s biggest brand, Gucci, showed revenues of €5.7 billion, a year-on-year decline of 22%. At Yves Saint Laurent, revenues reached €2.1 billion, down by 10% compared to the first nine months of 2023, while a third major Kering leathergoods brand, Bottega Veneta, provided some respite from the bad news. It contributed more than €1.2 billion to the group’s nine-month total, an increase of 2% year on year.
At Hermès, revenues for the nine-month period reached €11.2 billion, an increase of 11.4% year on year. Its leathergoods and saddlery business contributed nearly €4.8 billion towards the total, growing by 14.7% compared to the January-September period last year. Ready-to-wear and accessories, the category in which Hermès includes its footwear and glove segments, achieved revenue of nearly €3.3 billion over the period, up by 12.3%. The group says it remains fully committed to its long-term development strategy, which it describes as being “based on creativity, maintaining control over know-how and singular communication”.
Sliding doors
Research from analyst firm Bain & Company, a pivotal partner of Altagamma’s, suggests that the overall personal luxury goods market could finish 2024 with a fall in value of 2% year on year. The view of senior partner and global head of fashion & luxury at Bain, Claudia D’Arpizio, is that the luxury sector is at a crossroads, facing what she calls “a Sliding Doors moment”. This is a reference to a 1998 film that presents two
Credit: Shutterstock/Sorbis
A story to tell. A Bottega Veneta handbag on display in a store in Hong Kong.
parallel possible lives, the plot depending on whether or not the main character catches a train. She says 2024 was a year of major change and that the industry is at a crossroads because there are important decisions to make.
“There is a wide range of possible scenarios for the sector,” Ms D’Arpizio says. “What happens depends on lots of factors, including macroeconomics, risks, what is going on in various countries around the world, demographics and so on. But, as far as we can tell, the strategies of brands will be the decisive factor in around 50% of the possible scenarios because this is a sector that is supply-driven.”
This is not new, she explains. Growth in spending on experiences rather than on products is what she calls a megatrend that has been in evidence for years. “It was interrupted by covid-19,” she says, “but it is back and is firmly running its course again.” Spending on travel, expensive restaurants, concert tickets and other experiences has grown among luxury consumers, according to Bain’s data, often to the detriment of spending on more traditional physical products. But there is also grounds for optimism for brands selling finished products, she insists, if their products offer “emotional content” too, and if they can become better at incorporating that content into their storytelling.
Emotional appeal
Desire for exciting and memorable experiences has led to growth in the building or refurbishment of high-end hotels, cruise ships and restaurants. All of these consume leather. We would argue that their use of leather helps to increase their emotional appeal. It helps create desirable environments in which consumers will be happy to spend time and money, even though these are, by definition, assets that they have to share with other customers.
The people at the top of the wealth charts, a group Ms D’Arpizio refers to as “the happy few”, are able to buy and keep individual products that satisfy the same desire because they, too, provide high levels of emotional content. Some of the examples she gives of products that can do this are superluxury cars, private yachts and private jets. The Bain senior partner expresses confidence that 2024 will prove to have been a record year for private yacht orders. Each of these products also frequently consume heartening quantities of leather in their interiors.
Important lessons
Because they are beyond the budget of almost everyone on earth, it may seem at first glance that these segments can do little to help the wider global leather industry withstand the current economic storm. But if Claudia D’Arpizio’s take on things is correct, there are important lessons that manufacturers of mainstream shoes, cars, bags and furniture can take from what is happening. She says: “When you sell a product now, the emotional aspect, the experiential aspect, has an increasingly important role.”
She is not surprised that 2024 was a difficult year for brands selling bags, regarding this as a to-be-expected calming down after a post-covid sales surge. Here, too, there are lessons. Ms D’Arpizio is convinced the immediate uplift following covid was about more than people suddenly being able to spend money again and splashing out cash that they had saved up during lockdown. “The psychological aspects were important too,” she insists, referring to people’s desire to celebrate and enjoy their newly restored post-pandemic
freedom. “And these are factors that are going to be increasingly important for brands to anchor themselves to in the years ahead. Their ability to do this will go a long way towards determining whether these segments can achieve growth again.”
Free-wheeling
Some brands already know this. A call to celebrate personal freedom is a clear component of automotive group Lexus’s presentation of its newest model, the LM (Luxury Mover) people carrier. It claims that the vehicle is a “perfect expression” of ‘omotenashi’, Japan’s traditional commitment to hospitality. In keeping with this, the rear passenger seats have integrated heating, ventilation and massage functions and are equipped with extendable ottomans to support the lower legs, and recline, airline-style, to fully horizontal if passengers desire it.
The rear cabin also hosts a 48-inch high-definition widescreen for watching films or taking part in online meetings. It has a 23-speaker surround-sound audio system, tailor-made for the LM, and a 14-litre wine fridge. Naturally, the seats are upholstered in aniline leather. What other material would work in this setting, in this context? Lexus calls the model “a new kind of limousine for the modern age”, in which business, leisure and relaxation can overlap in a
A scene from the Boot Düsseldorf exhibition in 2024, a record year for private yacht sales.
Credit: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
single journey and where “peace, quiet and privacy are the most highly valued luxury qualities”. All of this combines to offer what the company calls a level of sophistication and exclusivity more in keeping with private jets than with fourwheeled transport. Leather’s naturalness, durability, lasting beauty and sensuousness work perfectly.
Audience participation
Bag brands have the opportunity to remind consumers that their products, too, can be a means of celebrating freedom, individuality, exclusivity and excellence. At the top end of the market, artisans train for years to be able to spend hours making each bag for its owner. Brands, increasingly, have the chance also to highlight the uniqueness of each piece of leather they use, tracing it back to the country, the region, the farm and, sometimes, even the animal of its origin. If the leather traceability requirements of the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) are unfair and unnecessary, they could also offer finished product manufacturers and brands a new chance to differentiate themselves. All the data and detail companies have to collect anyway, whether they like it or not, to satisfy EUDR constitute raw material for engaging stories.
A large, global consumer audience is keen to hear these stories, Claudia D’Arpizio continues. She says brands must keep trying to reach them. She urges an element of caution when it comes to price increases, pointing out that it would be a pity to undo “the huge effort” companies have already carried out to begin to win the emotional engagement of these people, connecting them “to your creativity, your aesthetics, your cultural world”.
To spell out for them that the products they are buying are special because the talented, skilled people who made them are special, the traditional artisan techniques and knowledge
they have learned are special, and the material they use is special is a good thing. It is also easier than ever to do, on a QR code, on social media or on a corporate website. “The audience exists,” Ms D’Arpizio concludes. “It is very large and it has a strong appetite for products of this kind.”
Senior partner and global head of fashion & luxury at Bain, Claudia D’Arpizio.
Credit: Bain & Company
The rear cabin of the Lexus LM people mover. The automotive group claims it has more in common with the world of private jets than with four-wheeled transport.
Credit: Lexus
Air purification system
Focus on what matters
Eco Scrubber is the air purification system crafted for individuals who envision a more sustainable work environment. At the heart of the machine is its innovative Diagnostics system, ensuring smooth operations by providing timely warnings and alerts for proactive maintenance.
The United Nations has identified forest conservation as an important component in the battle to bring carbon emissions down. Contrary to the perceptions of many, livestock farmers are convinced they can contribute too. And they have the figures to prove it.
To net-zero and beyond
On publishing its 2024 Emissions Gap Report in late October, the United Nations (UN) said “climate crunch time” had arrived. The UN has been publishing this report annually since 2016. Its aim is to track the gap between where global emissions are heading and where they ought to be if humanity is to limit global warming in line with the Paris Agreement. The agreement, also from 2016, binds its 195 signatories to work to keep the rise in the global surface temperature to “well below” 2°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. Signatories also agreed to pursue the objective of keeping global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
When the 2024 report appeared, it showed that there was a new record for global greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 with a total of 57.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxideequivalent (CO2e). The reaction of UN secretary-general, António Guterres, was to say: “We are teetering on a planetary tightrope. Either leaders bridge the emissions gap or we plunge headlong into climate disaster, with the
poorest and most vulnerable suffering the most.” He said governments urgently had to show “a surge in ambition” to achieve emissions reductions that are substantial enough to put the Paris targets back on track.
For 1.5 or “well below 2” degrees Celsius to become achievable again, the UN said nations, collectively, must commit to cutting annual greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2030 and by 57% by 2035. Without these “dramatic cuts”, the report warns, the world could face “an inevitable and catastrophic” temperature rise of 3.1°C by the end of this century.
Sources of hope
In spite of the tone of its headline message, the UN said in its presentation of these figures that there is still hope. Boosting solar photovoltaic and wind energy usage could contribute 27% of the required reduction for 2030, and 38% of the reduction needed by 2035. Forest conservation could provide an additional 20% of the necessary reductions in both
years. Other effective strategies the UN suggests include enhancing energy efficiency, electrifying “various sectors” and transitioning from fossil fuels in buildings, transport and industry. To make any of this happen, though, there will need to be “unprecedented international cooperation”.
These suggested measures focus on energy because, according to the UN’s figures, energy contributed 68.7% of total emissions in 2023. It attributed a further 4% to waste, and just over 9% to industrial processes. Land-use, land-use change and forestry have a share of 7%. It attributes the remaining 11% of emissions to agriculture, with livestock’s share standing at 6% of the total.
Part of the solution
It is clear from what it has said that the UN believes management of forests can become part of the solution. What if livestock farming can do the same? Unrelenting messages that push people to reduce or reject the consumption of animal protein as a way of combatting climate change are common. They form no part of the 2024 Emissions Gap Report, but they have become commonplace in mainstream media’s coverage of this question and are an important part of the content in press releases and reports from campaign groups. A few weeks before the new UN report appeared, Greenpeace Nordics published its own 82-page climatechange update using ‘Pulling the climate emergency brake on big meat and dairy’ as the subtitle. In the days that followed, the organisation celebrated the fact that the document’s appearance had led to “activists from many countries [paying] a visit to some of the world’s biggest meat and dairy giants”.
Professor John Gilliland would not class himself among the “meat giants”, but he is a livestock farmer. His family has run Brook Hall Estate in County Derry in Ireland since 1856. He is a member of the European Union’s Soil Mission Board, a special advisor to the UK’s Agriculture Horticulture Development Board, and honorary professor of practice in agriculture and sustainability at Queen’s University Belfast. But the herd on his farm is small, comprising 20 dairy-cross-beef steers. Nevertheless, he, too, has been on the end of questions about this part of his work from members of the public. At ‘open farm’ events, he says “impressionable young people” have
been forthright in their criticism of him for being part of the livestock industry. His answer is to acknowledge their passion for sustainability, but then to put a question back to them. He explains: “I ask them how much carbon they have responsibility for managing every year. They admit they have no idea. I thank them for their honesty, but then I tell them that they should
know their numbers. I know my numbers. On my farm I am responsible for managing 24,405 tonnes of carbon every year, and that’s before I produce an ounce of food for them to eat. And, for this, I ask them to treat me with some respect because they need me as much as I need them. That disarms the aggression and the passion, and then we can have a good conversation.”
The UN’s breakdown of the record global greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. Credit: United Nations
United Nations secretary-general, António Guterres, says: “We are teetering on a planetary tightrope.” Credit: United Nations
“ I know my numbers; on my farm I am responsible for managing 24,405 tonnes of carbon every year. ”
PROFESSOR JOHN GILLILAND
What the numbers say
Where he seeks to take that conversation is to the positive contribution to the fight against climate change that farmers can make. John Gilliland believes that if forest conservation can be a force for good in reducing emissions, livestock farms can be, too. He believes, from knowing his numbers, that Brook Hall Estate is already making a positive impact because the figures tell him that the farm is not only at net-zero, but has gone beyond net-zero.
The farm worked out its numbers by using Agrecalc, an agricultural resource efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions calculator developed in Scotland, and by working with PhD students from the Netherlands and Ireland. It worked out its greenhouse gas emissions and calculated the amount of carbon in the farm’s soil and in its trees and hedges to be able to estimate carbon sequestration. This gave Professor Gilliland a figure for the farm’s net carbon position. Gross emissions work out at 151 tonnes of CO2e per year. Gross sequestration is 156 tonnes of CO2e per year. Net emissions from Brook Hall Estate are, therefore, minus-4 tonnes of CO2e per year. Tools the farm has used include airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology to determine the height of the trees on the site, and soil-sampling technology to measure carbon content at depths of up to one metre below the ground and to chart changes in carbon levels.
Super soil
Establishing the height of the trees and the canopy area they cover makes it possible, using software, to work out how much carbon the trees hold. Soil analysis at Professor Gilliland’s farm has allowed him to work out which type of land-use delivers the most carbon sequestration. Converted to CO2e, the
soil on the farm captures just under 20,000 tonnes. He thinks it is interesting that, even though he has a large number of trees, including shortrotation willow trees as a renewable energy crop and oak trees that are 250 years old, 80% of the carbon the farm captures is in the soil. He thinks this calculation might come as a surprise to some of the groups that call for farmers to get rid of livestock and plant more trees. Cattle faeces plays a hugely important role in soil health. He has figures to prove this. His land-use is diverse, but he now knows that the areas where his livestock graze are the areas with by far the best concentration of earth-worms and of bacteria and fungi biomass in the soil. He encourages all livestock farmers to work out their own numbers if they can, acknowledging that it will be much harder for some to do so than for others. He calls for help from regulators and from governments to recognise and register the positive contributions that smaller-scale farmers are making to wider efforts to combat emissions. These could scale up to agricultural enterprises of a bigger size, but he questions whether or not scope-three emissions systems or government greenhouse gas emission inventories are “smart enough” to pick up the changes that farmers like him are achieving already.
Health from the ground up
There are win-wins through which farmers can help accelerate the move to net-zero while remaining viable businesses. But there are also win-lose scenarios and he points out that farmers cannot deliver net-zero without help in making sure the winwins happen. These include improving the use of genetics in managing herds, reducing the age of slaughter and improving soil pH. Win-lose alternatives include, in the professor’s opinion, the much vaunted option of feed additives as a means of reducing methane from cattle herds. “This is supposed to be a big silver bullet,” he says. “Everyone is telling me that. But who is going to pay? There is a second big push in Europe for green nitrogen fertiliser. These are things we could do, but at the moment they would mean losing money. That’s why farmers are in no rush to do them.”
All of this, of course, is about helping farmers find viable ways of continuing to produce food while achieving and going beyond net-zero. Professor Gilliland’s soil statistics show how important livestock are in this. He says he believes in health from the ground up and that healthy soil makes for healthy societies. Making livestock farms more efficient and more sustainable can help feed people and make the Paris Agreement more achievable.
Professor John Gilliland, demonstrating the soil health on his farm in Ireland.
Credit: Queen’s University Belfast
Tuscan tannery Conceria 800, recently bought by Kering, could be among leather makers that will be tasked with cutting water usage in its operations.
Credit: Conceria 800
Good COP, bad COP
Alongside representatives from most of the world’s governments at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) in Cali, Colombia, last autumn, were parties that saw themselves as an important piece of the jigsaw when it comes to preserving the world’s ecosystems. In fact, there were more business representatives than ever before, raising questions over influence and agenda, with groups such CropLife International and Exxon Mobil sending more delegates than some countries. Represented among the businesses was luxury group Kering, which chose the conference to announce it was the first to adopt verified Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) for both land and fresh water following a year-long pilot study. The owner of Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga has set its initial sights on the Arno basin in Tuscany, where most of its tanneries and supplier tanneries are located. It aims to reduce water use in the basin by 21% by 2030, a target
COP16 and COP29 – Conference of the Parties to the United Nations conventions on biodiversity and climate change – highlighted differences of opinion on accountability and financing and were generally thought of as falling short of desired results. But luxury groups used the platforms to announce stricter environmental targets, and a methane reduction strategy could add impetus to the argument for tanning hides instead of landfilling.
that will be rolled out to other locations over the coming months. Shortly after the conference, it increased its stake in Colonna Group, a key leather supplier, through its subsidiary Gucci Logistica, from 51% to 100%. The move includes three tanneries – Marbella Pellami, Conceria 800 and Falco Pellami in Santa Croce sull’Arno – which will be central to achieving the target. Kering suggested working with SBTN also helped strengthen its deforestation and conversion-free commitments, notably to include more detailed land-use change assessments associated with the group’s sourcing of leather. It will also focus on promoting regenerative practices and enhancing biodiversity in sourcing regions, including Olive Leaf’s Grass project in South Africa, from which it buys sheep wool and leather.
Luxury targets
The SBTN pilot included 17 other companies, such as rival luxury group LVMH, which also used the analysis to set more stringent targets on biodiversity, launched directly after COP16. New initiatives include a scheme with the World Wildlife Fund to preserve the Congo Basin rainforest, as part of its LIFE 360 programme. It has chosen to adopt SBTN targets relating to a wool supply chain in Asia and grapes in France.
LVMH’s total carbon footprint is 6.3 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent, and to align the carbon trajectory with the Paris Agreement it will need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to sites and store energy consumption by 50% by 2026 (compared with a base year of 2019) through a 100% renewable energy policy, and reduce Scope 3 (raw materials and transport) GHG emissions by 55% by 2030. At that point, all of the group's new products will follow an ecodesign process, and repair services will be extended, as as well as upcycling or reusing leather through its Nona Source platform, which it has opened up to other companies.
Also by 2030, 100% of the group’s supply chains will have a dedicated traceability system. Part of this will include “strengthening the integration of livestock and tanning activities” - which could potentially mean some acquisitions. By 2023, it could specify country of origin for 96% of sheep and leather, but only 88% of wool. By 2026, all new products will include a dedicated information system.
The overall focus for COP16 was to write into legislation how important biodiversity is to the globe’s well-being and agree set plans for preserving it. The official line hailed the conference as a “resounding success” having “unprecedented impact”, highlighting the Cali Fund, a deal on Digital Sequence Information, whereby genetic information that has been sequenced from the natural world can be made available, and the establishment of a permanent body for indigenous peoples and local communities. However, despite more than 170 official delegations, 40,000 people involved in discussions and a million visitors, the conference closed without agreement on who exactly should pay what and how it would be monitored.
Climate debates
Fast-forward 10 days and 12,700km and another important COP conference, COP29: the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Held in Baku, Azerbaijan, and attracting 70,000 attendees, this summit wanted to build on an important agreement reached at the previous iteration in Dubai – namely, a move away from fossil fuels – and agree how the world would finance reducing its warming to the Paris Summit-agreed limit of 1.5 degrees. The event’s location in an oilrich country was a bone of contention, as was the absence of some of the biggest players and, again, the proliferation of business interests.
In advance of the event, the International Council of Tanners, the Leather and Hide Council of America and Leather Naturally alongside 30 other bodies reissued a manifesto calling on delegates to recognise the positive role that long-lasting leather products can have in reducing consumption and the environmental impact of the fashion industry, building on a document published three years ago for COP26. Expanding on previous messages, the latest manifesto called for leather “to be part of the solution to climate change”, as well as “informed, holistic measures of the impact of materials”. It urges regulators to recognise the challenges faced by the leather industry, noting that it is “constantly working towards ever greater sustainability and circularity”, but that its efforts will be undermined if regulators and brands do not give “proper consideration to the real
Some of the delgates and attenddees at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Colombia. Credit: United Nations
Children were also present at COP16 with a speech on environmental awareness and responsible use of technology
Credit: United Nations
impacts and benefits of natural materials like leather”. It also calls for measures of environmental impact, including lifecycle analysis, to take full account of all aspects of the production of any material.
Methane focus
During the conference, the European Commission launched a Methane Abatement Partnership Roadmap to accelerate the reduction of methane emissions associated with fossil energy production and consumption. Under the Global Methane Pledge, launched by the EU and the US, more than 150 countries are implementing a collective goal of reducing global anthropogenic [agriculture, fossil fuels and landfill waste] methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030, from 2020 levels. While the pledge has been a catalyst for action, reports show the countries are falling short.
UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition Technology & Economic Assessment Panel – a partnership of 182 governments, intergovernmental organisations and non-governmental organisations – published a report on Digital Extension Services for Livestock (DSL), or tools that help farmers to facilitate knowledge transfer and allow for a better understanding of the impact of animal diets, veterinary care and breeding on methane emissions. Launched at a COP29 side event, the report calls for investments to support the roll-out of DSL – particularly given that agriculture contributes 40% of anthropogenic methane emissions but receives only 2% of total climate funding, it said.
Waste reduction
Since its launch at COP28 in Dubai, the Lowering Organic Waste Methane
COP29 closing meeting: tentative steps but a long journey ahead.
Credit: United Nations
“Minimising organic waste emissions may draw attention to the issue of hide disposal and the need to maximise their use.”
(LOW-Methane) initiative has made progress. A coalition of 30 organisations is working with governments to accelerate delivery of the Global Methane Pledge and the Paris Agreement by cutting at least 1 million tonnes of annual methane emissions from the waste sector before 2030. Food waste accounts for 20% of all methane emissions, delegates heard. Thirty nations, representing half of global organic waste emissions, endorsed a declaration committing to tackling this. Among the comments was the idea that lowering methane emissions can be “our emergency brake in the climate emergency”.
Secretary of the International Council of Tanners Kerry Senior, who spent an “interesting and busy” few days at the conference, commented, “The impact of these policies for leather remains to be seen. Livestock will be an obvious target for reducing methane emissions. But minimising organic waste emissions may draw attention to the issue of hide disposal and the need to maximise their use. What better way to do that than to produce leather?”
This message ties in with new analysis from the Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) that suggests the previously accepted figures that that one tonne of wasted hides would generate emissions of around 850 kilos of CO2-equivalent is
KERRY SENIOR, INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF TANNERS
far too low, and the true figure is in fact closer to 13,000 kilos (see the Oct/Nov 2024 issue of World Leather ).
“Choosing not to turn hides into leather generates emissions of more than 40 million tonnes of CO2e per year,” says Kevin Latner, vice-president of LCHA, working on the basis that as many as 130 million hides might go to waste every year.
Mirroring COP16, at its conclusion, COP29 delegates were left unable to strike the deals and reach the agreements that the countries bearing the brunt of climate change were hoping for. However, developed countries did agree to provide at least $300 billion per year to developing countries by 2035 to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “I had hoped for a more ambitious outcome –on both finance and mitigation – to meet the great challenge we face,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. “But this agreement provides a base on which to build.”
Dr Kerry Senior added the leather industry must find a way “to have its voice heard and to have policymakers understand the climate-positive benefit of avoiding hide waste”. He has called for senior representatives of the global leather industry to work as hard as possible to put this message across to political and business leaders at the next COP climate conference, which will be held in Belem, Brazil, in November.
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Six brands from the Seoul Leather Manufacturer Support Center travelled to Milan in September to take part in Mipel. The aim was to carve out new export business for the 300 leathergoods manufacturers who share the centre’s resources. Credit: Mipel
Life and Seoul
Anew feature at the 126th edition of Mipel in Milan in September was a section given over to the Seoul Leather Manufacturer Support Center. The centre is an incubator facility run by the authorities in the South Korean capital to help start-up companies attain success. There are currently 300 small manufacturers operating at the site, but the director, Hong Chang Uk, insists there are around 3,000 manufacturers making bags and other accessories in the city, with a further 300 start-up companies making high-end shoes.
Mr Hong’s role begins with the selection of start-ups that he thinks will benefit from becoming part of the community at the centre. There, they have access to education and training resources to learn more about leather and techniques for turning it into beautiful products. There is also machinery they can share for cutting, stitching and finishing the things they make, and a professional photography studio to help brands showcase their collections, all supported by the city. According to Mr Hong, South Korea is home to high levels of artisan skills, including a deep understanding of materials and of manufacturing processes.
Leathergoods start-ups from Seoul caught the eye at the September edition of Mipel in Milan. Six of them travelled to Italy for the occasion, but the South Korean capital is home to thousands more.
Export challenge
The domestic market is strong in South Korea, Mr Hong explains. The country’s economy is the fourth-largest in Asia and the fourteenth biggest in the world. In its most recent forecast at the start of the third quarter of 2024, the International Monetary Fund foresaw full-year growth of 2.5% for South Korea in 2024. The centre has already carried out a number of projects on home soil, promoting the
facility and the brands that work there to consumers in Seoul and other parts of the country.
“But South Korea is a relatively expensive place to produce,” the centre’s director continues, “certainly in comparison to some of our neighbours.” This makes export growth a challenge, especially in the east Asia region. For this reason, the Leather Manufacturer Support Center has begun to look further afield for export clients, including in Europe.
For the Mipel project, the centre invited six of the companies to prepare collections of products to put on display in Milan as examples of what the Seoul start-ups are capable of. Mr Hong makes it clear, though, that the trip to Italy was part of a wider initiative to boost export sales for all the companies that make up the collective.
For illustrative purposes, one of the brands, l’Homme Vide, had a shoulder bag on show, a model called Louise, that is available at a wholesale price of $110 each, with a minimum order quantity of 50. The bag is 38x24 centimetres and is available in six colours. Founder of the brand and designer of the bag, Jang Hyuk, describes the Louise bag as “simple but cool”. He especially likes the way the curves work.
The appeal of tradition
Start-ups that made their way to Milan also included Pyogo Studio, which only launched in the summer of 2023. Its approach is to try to combine leather artisanship with the look and the heritage of hanbok, the traditional dress of the Korean peninsula. A product in which this combination comes across clearly is one called Lucky Bag.
In seeking to “show the aesthetic of Korea” through fashionable leathergoods, Pyogo has given the Lucky Bag the billowy, full-volume appearance of hanbok skirts. The bags are small at 21x19 centimetres, but they are cinched at the top by a drawstring mechanism, in a manner reminiscent of securing a garment at the waist of the wearer, and balloon out towards the bottom.
Two leather colours were on show in Milan: black and ivory.
The beauty of blemishes
Back at l’Homme Vide, Jang Hyuk is another who says he seeks to reinterpret the classical while staying faithful to tradition. He has been translating this into the brand’s tote bags, briefcases and attractive, slimline document holders for five years now. He uses one of the briefcases himself, one that has vegetable-tanned leather in a pale golden colour, combined with waxed cotton canvas. The base and the flap are leather; the rest of the body of the bag is canvas.
Mr Hyuk explains that he loves the fact that scratches and other marks on the leather he chooses to use are so visible. He is referring to scrapes that were in evidence on the raw hide before the tanning process began, but also to blemishes that have come as a result of wear and tear, of which there is plenty in a metropolitan area of more than 25 million people. He says strangers among the millions have stopped him in the street to admire the bag, a model that, in spite of all the marks, he calls Healing.
According to Mr Hyuk, the accumulation of marks is a good thing. “The scratches are a testament to how long this bag has lasted and how much use it has given me so far,” he says.
Blemishes are beautiful, as the Healing briefcase from l’Homme Vide makes plain.
Credit: l’Homme Vide.
New start-up Pyogo Studio took inspiration from Korea’s traditional hanbok clothing for its Lucky Bag design.
Credit: Pyogo Studio
Calf strain
Consumer tastes evolve and the changes can affect not only demand for finished leather, but also the raw material supply chain. It is good that there is a wide variety of renewable raw materials that tanners can use, and that many of these continue to be available in good quantities, for now at least. Good alternatives make it possible for the industry to continue to produce the leather that customers love, but the need to remain creative and adapt to new raw material realities as they emerge is going to stay on tanners’ to-do lists.
In recent history, the situation in the calfskin supply chain offers one of the best examples of this. At the start of December 2024, official calf slaughter numbers in the US were below 3,500 head per week. The weekly total had not been higher than 4,000 head since May. At the end of 2022, the figure was consistently above 7,000 head per week. At the same point in 2018, the total was usually nearer 12,000 head per week.
Leatherbiz reports these slaughter statistics every week, going back to July 2002. Those first entries for calf slaughter were above 20,000 head per week. Therefore, the supply of
Constraints in the supply of calfskins are having an impact on the luxury leathergoods sector, according to a past-president of ICHSLTA.
calfskins from the US has fallen by 50% in the last two years, by 70% in the last six years and by more than 80% since, roughly, the start of the century.
The beauty of box calf
The most famous place for finished calf leather is France. Specialist tanners in France and Italy have become renowned for making box calf, which is calf leather with an exceptionally smooth appearance. High-end luxury leathergoods brands have often opted for French box calf for the bags at the very top of their accessory ranges.
Classic calfskin, the Hermès Kelly bag.
Credit: Shutterstock/Photo-Lime
Hermès, for example, has many versions of the Kelly bag but the original, from decades before the product captured the heart of Grace Kelly and was known only as the Sac à Main de Voyage, is made from box calf. The original Birkin bag was also made from box calf. Calf, too, has been the material of choice in Chanel’s Small Classic handbag. Kering’s biggest bag brands are originally from outside France, but Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga all have popular bags in box calf. Not for nothing did France export more than €70 million worth of calfskins to Italy in 2023.
Supply lines
Just as in the US, however, the supply of the raw material required to make this leather is becoming harder to source from French abattoirs. The constraints are so great that pastpresident of the International Council of Hides, Skins, and Leather Traders Associations (ICHSLTA), Nick Winters, has said the decrease in the availability of calf skins is likely to have an effect on the luxury leathergoods sector.
Speaking at the 2024 Sustainable Leather Forum in Paris, Mr Winters, who has been based in France for 30 years and is currently vice-president for international relations at the French Hides & Skins Federation (FFCP), said the annual volume of calfskins coming onto the market in France has fallen by around 600,000 pieces in the last ten years.
He said that, in France, the availability of calfskins fell by around 7% in 2022 and by the same percentage again in 2023. In the first half of 2024, he said there had been a further decline, which he put at 5% year on year. He concluded that France’s total calfskin availability is now unlikely to reach 1 million pieces per year. “I remember the situation ten years ago,” he says. “The availability was more like 1.6 million calfskins per year. What this means is that the luxury industry is going to have to look for alternative materials.”
It is no accident that box calf has long been favoured by luxury brands. Mr Winters explains that the natural smoothness of the leather owes an immense amount to the quality of the skins. In France, calves are usually reared indoors, he says, and raised on milk for between four and six months. These gentle living conditions and the relative lack of scrapes and scars the animals receive make for high-quality skins that have great appeal for high-end brands. Alternatives that Nick Winters suggests include young bull hides, pointing out that this raw material, too, can be of very high quality.
Raw material roller coaster
Tanners are going to have to remain alert and creative when it comes to sourcing raw material that can allow them to meet the needs of demanding customers. Mr Winters argues that leather manufacturers, especially those in Europe, are going to face a number of wider raw material challenges in the near future.
Slaughter figures are going down in many important hidesupplying countries. He recalls livestock statistics showing 20 million head of cattle in France in 2014 or 2015. Within six years, the total had gone down by 3 million head. “That’s a huge reduction,” Mr Winters says, pointing out that there are similar falls in other large economies, including the US and Canada. “What this means is that there will be fewer highquality hides available in years ahead.”
He also has concerns about the effect the European Union Deforestation Regulation could have on the availability of imported hides and says he has worked out that it could lead
to a severe reduction in supply. This could, perhaps, amount to millions fewer good-quality hides coming to the European Union once the new rules come fully into application. Wetsalted and wet blue hides arrive from the US, while around 20% of Brazilian hide exports are destined for Europe, he says.
He calculates hide production within Europe at between 28 million and 30 million pieces per year, but says between 20% and 30% of this volume goes for export. “Those exports are going to continue to leave Europe,” Mr Winters says, “while fewer imported hides will come in. And where will those missing imported hides go? Well, they will go to be made into leather in Asia. This means that, potentially, there is an enormous danger here for European tanners.”
His argument is that these difficulties deserve the attention of the big supply chain partners that sit upstream and downstream of the tanneries. Hide and skin exports, globally, are worth €12 billion per year, Nick Winters says, while meat shipments have a value five times greater at €60 billion. He concludes: “If you take into account what happens to those hides and skins and include trade in finished leather and in finished products such as bags and footwear, the trade is worth more than €100 billion per year. In terms of international commerce, then, hides, skins and leather are more important than meat.”
Past-president of the International Council of Hides, Skins, and Leather Traders Associations (ICHSLTA), Nick Winters.
Credit: Romuald Meigneux, for l'Alliance France Cuir
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Beast to Beauty
Leathergoods will continue to be part of Burberry’s offering, but it will stick to “branded key shapes” and the price of most items will be under €2,000.
ALL CREDITS: BURBERRY
F Blame it on the leathergoods
our months into his tenure as chief executive of Burberry, Joshua Schulman believes he has unlocked the path to recovery. In mid-November, the company reported revenues of just under £1.1 billion for the first half of its current business year, the six months ending September 28, 2024. Compared to the previous year, this figure represented a decline of 22%. There was also a year-on-year decline of 22% in the first quarter of the current business year and this led to the departure in July of previous chief executive, Jonathan Akeroyd, with Joshua Schulman moving from New York to London to take over right away.
A cost-saving programme is in place, starting with the shedding of hundreds of jobs at company headquarters. This will now expand across the whole of Burberry. At the start of this financial year, April 2024, it had 9,169 employees across the world, half in Europe, 36% in Asia, and 14% in the Americas. With the business sailing through choppy waters, rumours began to spread of a possible takeover, with Moncler much mentioned as a possible buyer. Even some of the analysts who attended the mid-November results presentation mentioned the Milan-based brand by name in their questions. The new chief executive resisted any temptation to rise to the bait. He insists he has his own plan for turning the business around and a key component of it is to lavish less attention on leathergoods.
After disappointing results, Londonbased luxury brand Burberry has decided that the best way to turn its fortunes around is to shine far less limelight on leather.
Authenticity appeal
“We are clearly starting from a very challenging position,” he says. “We have the most opportunity where we have the most authenticity.” This includes leather handbags and footwear, but not at the expense of outerwear, especially the trench-coats and scarves with the Burberry check for which the brand is best known. “In the last couple of years we moved too far away from our DNA and lost our focus,” he says.
“We over-indexed on modern, to the exclusion of our heritage. We prioritised inventory and marketing investments around seasonal fashion moments at the expense of our core categories, resulting in diminished visibility of our core outerwear.”
Price pressure
He makes it clear that his analysis also indicates mistakes in pricing. His view is that Burberry took pricing “too high across the board”, but he singles out leathergoods again as the prime example of where it all went wrong. Chief creative officer, Daniel Lee, arrived from Bottega Veneta in 2022. The company seemed happy with how things were going in 2023, after Mr Lee’s first collection had begun to hit Burberry stores. Sales were up by 3.4% in the first half of its 2023-2024 business year and it calculated in November 2023 that sales of leather bags for the period were up by 14% year on year.
One year on, Joshua Shulman insists that the brand “lacked natural category authority” to charge as much as it was for some of Mr Lee’s bags. The B Shield Tote bag in shearling had an official price of €3,750 at the time of writing. The Large Leather Tent bag in calfskin cost €3,150. “We had a handbagled elevation strategy,” the new chief executive continues, “focused on handbags at pinnacle pricing and mostly without recognisable signifiers.” He thinks “the zone” in which the brand can do well in the busy world of bags is at price-points between €1,500 and €2,000. And the bags in its forthcoming collections will have “recognisably Burberry signifiers”, he adds. Bags will, therefore, continue to be a Burberry category, but will not be “where we lead”, Mr Schulman says.
Commercial alchemy
His conviction is that where it can lead is in outerwear, which he describes as being at the core of the brand’s “clear and distinct consumer value proposition”. He says: “When I look at the history of value creation at Burberry, it’s clear there was a creative and commercial alchemy, a blend of magic and logic: British heritage juxtaposed with innovation, and outerwear was at the core.” He insists this is a good thing, calling the gabardine material in the brand’s trench-coats the original performance material and describing as an immediate priority the task of reasserting its authority as “the ultimate trench and rainwear destination”.
Joshua Schulman uses the word ‘hero’ as a verb. He says Burberry will ‘hero’ the distinctive check pattern in the lining of its raincoats. It will also ‘hero’ scarves. In fact, his opinion is that scarves are the brand’s “superpower”. Rolling out scarf bars in its stores will be part of the new strategy. As a trial of this idea, there is a scarf bar in its recently reopened store on 57th Street in New York, providing, he says, an inviting candy-store approach to scarves. It also fast-tracked to have ready for the Christmas shopping season a virtual scarf try-on tool for its ecommerce customers.
Next chapter
Ironically, among the bestsellers when the 57th Street store reopened in October were leather trench-coats. One version in calfskin, with shearling trims on the cuffs and collar, has an official price of $10,900. The Burberry chief
executive says this “shows the opportunity we have here”. What he means is that these products can command a high price because they are outerwear, not accessories. Outerwear is where the “pricing power” is. At one end of the priority spectrum, therefore, special-edition products at pinnacle pricepoints will be part of the strategy. The bag offering, in contrast, will concentrate on “branded key shapes” and the price of most items will be under €2,000. In this way, the new chief executive aims to “power this next chapter of this beautiful brand and move Burberry forward”.
The new chief executive of Burberry, Joshua Schulman.
The brand’s new strategy will emphasise the importance of outerwear, including its traditional trench-coats.
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