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Browse a handpicked selection of World Leather articles, thought provoking topics ranging from fast fashion to zero waste are all here. Premium + and World Leather subscribers can delve deeper, with access to the industry beating archive of over 1,400 World Leather technical papers in the archive.

Numbers game

Former lawyer Juliette Angeletti has found designing handbags to be the perfect way of combining her fascination with the Golden Ratio, her love of traditional French craft skills, and her commitment ... Free Content
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02 August 2022
Leather’s ties to the UN continue - leather, world leather Leather’s ties to the UN continue
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Building on the leather industry’s efforts to raise its voice at the COP26 Climate Change Conference last year, it is now playing an active part in another United Nations initiative, the world’s largest...
26 July 2022
Shaving foam, but not as you know it - leather, world leather Shaving foam, but not as you know it
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Founded in 2020 in G?rlitz in eastern Germany, eco-softfibre produces biodegradable flexible “foams”, upcycled from wet white leather shavings. Their work shows that the leather industry offers a route away...
19 July 2022
Cooling role for cattle farms - leather, world leather Cooling role for cattle farms
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An aggressive reduction in methane emissions from beef and dairy herds is achievable, Professor Mitloehner argues, taking cattle farming beyond climate neutrality and setting it up to help offset emissions...
28 June 2022
Fertiliser matters - leather, world leather Fertiliser matters
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One consequence of the war in Ukraine is a shortage, and huge hike in the cost, of materials for making fertilisers. This is sparking fears of food insecurity in the developing world.
21 June 2022
Sometimes the old notions are the best - leather, world leather Sometimes the old notions are the best
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Automotive company Polestar has said it wants to break away from traditional paradigms and has described using leather in car interiors as an “old notion”. But finding a leather supplier that can meet its...
14 June 2022
Le Marche: a special case - leather, world leather Le Marche: a special case
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The war in Ukraine has, understandably, dominated the headlines for months. One of the consequences that has largely gone unnoticed is its effect on the footwear sector in the Italian region of Le Marche.
07 June 2022
Olive-leaf options - leather, world leather Olive-leaf options
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Leather manufactured using Wet-Green’s tanning agent, developed from discarded olive leaves, has added to the sustainability story that Škoda is able to share with customers about its first purpose-built...
31 May 2022
Long-lasting and repairable - leather, world leather Long-lasting and repairable
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The European Union wants new rules that will give consumers the right to know how durable and easy-to-repair products are before they buy them.
17 May 2022
Cultural ties - leather, world leather Cultural ties
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A one-month secondment to share some of her leather technology knowledge with staff and students at Auezov University in Kazakhstan was enough to convince Professor Eser Eke Bayramoglu that the industry there ...
12 May 2022
Spray-on upholstery - leather, world leather Spray-on upholstery
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With deep roots in the furniture manufacturing sector, start-up Cooloo is making impressive inroads into the vibrant Dutch circular-economy scene with its innovative, waste-consuming leather upholstery.
10 May 2022
Patience pays off - leather, world leather Patience pays off
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Leathergoods brand Barnes and Moore values the beauty that comes from slow, considered manufacturing – an ethos it has in common with its supplier, J&FJ Baker, a tannery whose leathers take 14 months to...
03 May 2022
Road to recovery - leather, world leather Road to recovery
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Italy’s leather sector, encouraged by recent comments from Prime Minister Mario Draghi, can be optimistic about contributing to the country’s recovery from covid and to benefiting from a share of European...
26 April 2022
The zero-waste generation - leather, world leather The zero-waste generation
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A group of accessories designers is emerging now with a commitment to zero-waste that is so intense, they are not just willing to use leather offcuts, but they prefer to use this previously undervalued...
19 April 2022
Greenwashing has got to go - leather, world leather Greenwashing has got to go
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Years of work in the European Union to develop clear rules for calculating products’ environmental footprint are nearing their conclusion. The leather industry was an early and ardent contributor to this...
29 March 2022
In safe hands - leather, world leather In safe hands
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Footwear and leathergoods brands, keen to offer restoration services to their customers, have found a specialist partner they can rely on in The Restory.
22 March 2022
National award winner - leather, world leather National award winner
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The debate about the circular economy is gathering pace in many parts of the world. Leather sometimes seems to be on the periphery of these discussions, but in one South American country, Uruguay, the industry ...
15 March 2022
Erem’s biocircular ambitions - leather, world leather Erem’s biocircular ambitions
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The CEO of a new brand, and great-grandson of the Timberland founder, tells us how leather and sustainable materials are central to his desire to demonstrate a new way of working.
08 March 2022
Truly remarkable - leather, world leather Truly remarkable
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A record year for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars for both sales and bespoke work means that its leather workshop is busier and more important than ever.
01 March 2022
An economist’s message of hope - leather, world leather An economist’s message of hope
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Some of Italy’s 4,000-plus footwear manufacturers are small and, at times, a little fragile, but Milan-based economist Enrica Baccini insists the Italian shoe industry as a whole is “anti-fragile”.
22 February 2022
Soling tradition will live on - leather, world leather Soling tradition will live on
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Oak bark-tanned leather soles are synonymous with high-quality handmade shoes, so it was a blow to hear in recent months of the loss of one of the oldest manufacturers of this product, J R Rendenbach in...
15 February 2022
A fair COP for leather - leather, world leather A fair COP for leather
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Leather had its ups and downs at COP26, but, in the end, it came out of the event well.
25 January 2022
The highs and lows of harvest - leather, world leather The highs and lows of harvest
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Long considered the last word in luxury, reports that Hermès had moved in on mycelium earlier this year suddenly added a certain sheen to the biomaterial which, for many, had not been there before. World...
14 December 2021
Charging ahead - leather, world leather Charging ahead
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The big carmakers are accelerating their electric vehicles programmes, but the contradiction in the desire to move away from fossil fuels for power yet use more fossil fuel-based synthetics in the interiors...
07 December 2021
A journey through time - leather, world leather A journey through time
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Few have the design pedigree of Ramesh Nair, artistic director of French luxury house Joseph Duclos. He is a pivotal part of a new set up for the revived brand, which first made its name as a privileged...
30 November 2021
Stats prove animals-for-leather claims are false - leather, world leather Stats prove animals-for-leather claims are false
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Leather is available to us because livestock farmers raise animals to supply meat and dairy companies. It is demand for food rather than the desire for leather that leads to those animals going to slaughter....
23 November 2021
Industry’s angry reaction to Volvo - leather, world leather Industry’s angry reaction to Volvo
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Announcements from automotive company Volvo that it is ending its use of leather has prompted an unusually fierce, but justifiable, response from the industry.
09 November 2021
A COP26 call to arms - leather, world leather A COP26 call to arms
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Leather industry bodies have joined forces to ask the COP26 summit to recognise the benefits of using leather and other natural materials instead of allowing brands and consumers to develop an “unnecessary...
28 September 2021
Entrepreneurial spirit - leather, world leather Entrepreneurial spirit
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Help is at hand for leather-sector start-ups in France in the shape of incubator body Au Delà du Cuir (ADC). More than 60 small companies have received a boost from it already. As the industry seeks to rebuild ...
21 September 2021
Sieme weaves leather waste network - leather, world leather Sieme weaves leather waste network
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The founder of a new accessories brand predicts a more collaborative way of working that gives Italian artisans a bigger influence on design. She is also helping to boost ASPRI, a new association that gives...
14 September 2021
Doctor’s orders - leather, world leather Doctor’s orders
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Few brands have kept pace with the times as well as the seemingly ever-present Dr Martens, which remains fashionably relevant following wave after wave of popular culture. World Leather catches up with the...
06 September 2021
Industry challenges Veja’s leather decision - leather, world leather Industry challenges Veja’s leather decision
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Veja has published the results of a lifecycle assessment (LCA) exercise, claiming that it shows raw materials to contribute more than 70% of its total carbon footprint, with leather accounting for almost all...
30 August 2021
A century of tradition - leather, world leather A century of tradition
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German outdoor brand Hanwag’s manufacturing techniques enable easy resoling for boots that are eminently durable, and it is proud of its longstanding partnership with German tannery Heinen.
24 August 2021
Same leather, a new look at jobs - leather, world leather Same leather, a new look at jobs
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A new circular strategy for leather and textiles, soon to be released by the European Union (EU), promises to underscore the significant role leather continues to play in promoting a fair and closed-loop...
05 August 2021
A new approach to sourcing leather - leather, world leather A new approach to sourcing leather
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Mulberry wants its customers to think of buying its bags as a way to contribute towards saving the world.
03 August 2021
French resistance - leather, world leather French resistance
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The president of France’s Conseil National du Cuir (CNC), Frank Boehly, has continued his campaign to confirm leather’s circular-economy credentials in recent weeks, not least in a stout defence of leather in...
29 July 2021
Circular material from leather waste - leather, world leather Circular material from leather waste
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Innovative yarn producer Spinnova is adding leather to the list of natural raw materials it can work with. KT Trading is lending its weight and its waste to the idea. Two major footwear brands, adidas and...
27 July 2021
Late lessons in luxury - leather, world leather Late lessons in luxury
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As Diego Della Valle, the CEO of leathergoods group Tod’s, mulls stepping back from the day-to-day running of the company, he considers how the market has matured – and says he has changed his mind about what...
22 July 2021
Milestones for Gruppo Dani - leather, world leather Milestones for Gruppo Dani
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One of Italy’s most prominent leather manufacturing groups is celebrating a series of recent achievements on its path towards embracing circular-economy principles.
20 July 2021
Links for luxury’s loops - leather, world leather Links for luxury’s loops
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While the classic luxury experience was crafted to surprise and delight, a new narrative is gaining ground, with deep roots in preserving the beauty of the natural world and its resources through...
15 July 2021
Flaws in Farm to Fork - leather, world leather Flaws in Farm to Fork
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Multistakeholder group European Livestock Voice has flagged up nine contradictions in the Farm To Fork strategy. Leather industry body COTANCE is one of the signatories of a joint statement highlighting these...
06 July 2021
Eastern promise - leather, world leather Eastern promise
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Italian footwear group Sergio Rossi is betting big on Asia with a new direction in its 70th year. Its CEO has placed great emphasis on sustainability, with the factory now running on green energy.
29 June 2021
Material choices matter - leather, world leather Material choices matter
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The circular economy vision that has emerged from William McDonough’s early work on Cradle To Cradle suggests that we must make less, buy less and consume less. If this is to work, the things we do buy and use ...
22 June 2021
The sustainable €6 million bag - leather, world leather The sustainable €6 million bag
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Bologna-based luxury brand Boarini Milanesi broke a world record last year when it launched a new version of its Parva Mea model, the most expensive handbag in the world. The eye-watering price-tag supports...
15 June 2021
Shoes blaze Budget-Day trail - leather, world leather Shoes blaze Budget-Day trail
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The first woman in Canada to become minister of finance, Chrystia Freeland, delivered her inaugural federal budget speech on April 19. As detailed here, fine leather shoes from Italy had an important role to...
08 June 2021
Flair for repair - leather, world leather Flair for repair
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France’s Conseil National du Cuir believes specialist shoe repair professionals are fervent defenders of circular-economy values.

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