Economic crisis harms Turkish leather sector
The global economic crisis has affected manufacturers worldwide and Turkey’s leather sector is no exception, particularly as it is such a labour-intensive industry.
The leather zone at Menemen, Izmir, has been particularly hard hit. According to the president of the Aegean Leather Industrialists Association, Sener Altincezve, the number of active tanneries has fallen from 95 to 18. The remaining 18 are largely working at around 40% capacity.
Because it is a ‘free zone’, activity is restricted because of stringent export and import regulations. Locals claim that costs for producing leather in the zone are higher than in other leather tanning clusters.
Mr Altincezve said that waste water treatment system costs and other expenses are rising continuously because the number of active tanneries is diminishing. As a result, the zone has opened its doors to other industries such as plastics and chemicals.
