Browse Features 2023 January - leatherbiz: Leading news site for

18 December 2023

Cradle of circularity - leather, world leather

Cradle To Cradle thinking has been around for decades. It is now winning a place in the hearts of forward-thinking companies who are using its theories and certification system as a pathway to circularity.

12 December 2023

Vintage advantage

A significant number of Nike and adidas shoe designs in 2023 contain leather, as retro styles enjoy a resurgence and brands push the idea of premium materials.

05 December 2023

Birkenstock makes ‘ugly’ cool again

The German leather sandal brand is on a mission to educate the world on foot health as it embarks on a high-value stock market flotation.

28 November 2023

Traceability 2025: an ambition too far

The European Union is pressing ahead with its new regulations on deforestation; a postponement of the deadlines seems to many in the global leather industry to be the most sensible way forward.

21 November 2023

A lighter look

Hot on the heels of securing a Red Dot Design Award for its latest, lower-waste leather seat design, we dive deeper into how South Korea’s Hyundai Transys has combined a natural finish with tech-forward,...

14 November 2023

Apple’s relationship with leather turns sour

Another brand makes a misguided decision to stop using leather in its products and provokes a reaction from the leather industry that has more of an air of sadness than anger about it.

07 November 2023

Farm links deliver CO2 milestone

Supplier of Nordic Traceable Leather, Spoor, now has access to accurate carbon footprint data for every one of its hides. It is making the figures available for brands to incorporate into their work on...

31 October 2023

True to form

A new Boston Consulting Group report offers grounds for optimism about the global luxury market. It says high-end consumers in a category it calls ‘True Luxury’ are spending €780 billion per year on personal...

24 October 2023

Bricks work more magic than clicks

Retail network expansion in the luxury sector seems to have plateaued, but Dior has proved that it is possible to reach great heights with the stores brands already have in place.

17 October 2023

Allies in authenticity

The Portuguese leather industry is willing to share the working document that led to the country’s 2022 law for protecting the authenticity of leather. Colleagues around the globe will be able to adapt the...

10 October 2023

Bags of opportunity

After adopting a baby in Ethiopia, a US couple found themselves drawn back to help local women, and their business is now among the most prolific leathergoods exporters in the country.

03 October 2023

For the long haul

Leather chemicals group Silvateam began its work on collecting lifecycle analysis (LCA) data for its tanning agents in 2015. It believes it still has years of LCA work ahead of it.

05 September 2023

Weaving a new narrative

A project that empowers women by providing training in fashion-related skills and leatherwork in Uganda has won international funding.

15 August 2023

Waste not, want not

Public support in France for repairing shoes and keeping them for longer has come at a good time.

01 August 2023

Influencer dynamics

Leaders occupying different vantage points in the story of Brazilian leather reveal how they are working together to connect the dots backwards, to find a more accurate and transparent path forward.

25 July 2023

Just right

Regardless of ever-changing social sensations, authentic luxury has the ability to keep a low profile.

18 July 2023

Strong support among scientists for livestock farming

More than 1,000 scientists with high levels of knowledge and expertise about the contribution livestock can make to human wellbeing and to the health of the planet have signed the Dublin Declaration,...

10 July 2023

Meeting with approval

A recent leather goods collection from Danish leather suppliers Sørensen Leather has taken leather traceability and animal welfare one stage further, having been endorsed by Animal Protection Denmark.

04 July 2023

Clamping down on ‘vegan’ bandwagon

The LHCA has called on the Federal Trade Commission to publish stricter rules in its Green Guides for companies that try to pass plastics off as better for the environment than leather.

27 June 2023

The road less travelled

As an early career leathergoods designer navigates her post-graduation, we learn how leatherwork has shaped her life so far, and how her personal relationship with craft has inspired a less-than-conventional...

20 June 2023

For people on the move

Leathergoods entrepreneur Yamila Isaurralde turned her back on a career in industrial engineering to launch Tasche. Tapping into the knowledge and skills of a Tuscany-trained local artisan helped her turn an...

14 June 2023

Twenty years of sustainability reports

For two decades now, every year Italian tanning industry representative body UNIC has been sharing details of the sustainability successes of its member companies in a dedicated report.

06 June 2023

Opposing points of view

Promising controversy, a sports media group in Germany recently set up a discussion between senior representatives of campaign group PETA and the country’s leather sector. Respectful dialogue won the day.

30 May 2023

No turning back on traceability

Leather manufacturers in Brazil are in dialogue with partners in the meat and livestock supply chain to put in place a national traceability programme.

16 May 2023

Recorded histories

The stories behind makers and their materials are powerful, as Paraboot’s latest co-creator knows only too well. Here, World Leather uncovers the many sides to a mountain boot.

09 May 2023

A record year for luxury car brands

Amid doom and gloom for the UK automotive industry, luxury brands Rolls-Royce Motors and Bentley posted record figures for 2022.

02 May 2023

Whisky helps keep craft skills strong

An initiative from malt whisky company The Macallan is supporting the preservation of artisan leathercraft skills at the UK’s oldest bookbinder.

25 April 2023

Next-generation industry leaders

A post-graduate master’s programme in innovative leather technology involving four institutions in four countries will welcome its first students in October 2023.

18 April 2023

Pro animal and pro leather

Temple Grandin’s latest book reminds us that people really care about the animal welfare and land management behind their leather products. Forward-thinking businesses are embracing this and working smartly to ...

11 April 2023

Designers need to pick a side

The chief executive of Arzignano-based leather manufacturer Gruppo Mastrotto has some straight-talking advice for young designers.

21 March 2023

A natural connection

Spoor’s traceability capability helps a responsibly made German luxury brand forge ever-closer links with the land.

14 March 2023

What lies ahead for LCA and leather?

The leather sector’s engagement with LCA is likely to bear fruit if the industry can work out ways to use this science-based system to make it clear to customers that they stand to gain from using leather....

07 March 2023

Regenerative leather turns heads

A leather producer that aims “to go beyond sustainability” ended 2022 on a high at a special event in London.

28 February 2023

Doubts remain about LCA

LCA is popular, but it has its critics too. Influential voices say it makes complex situations seem too simple and encourages comparisons that are based on information that is not meaningful enough.

21 February 2023

Gentle persuasion

This has happened more than once: a company makes public pronouncements about leaving leather behind it and draws opprobrium from people inside the industry’s active and loud but limited bubble.

16 February 2023

Lived experience of LCA

Lifecycle assessment is such a hot topic that we are devoting the entire Thought Leadership section in this issue of World Leather to it.

10 January 2023

A revival of American savoir-faire

Future-proofing creative expression from generation to generation is no easy task, but as craft-minded entrepreneurs have been forced to shutter their doors across the US, a clear case for learning how to...

03 January 2023

The last zero-waste obstacle

“Customers ask about sustainability all the time and we want to be able to tell them that we represent a clean industry.” Verônica Meurer.