Industry bodies to draw up new sustainability code of conduct
08/01/2010
The European Union's leather industry association, COTANCE, and ETUF:TCL (the European Trade Union Federation of Workers in the Textile, Clothing, Leather and Footwear sectors) have issued a joint statement protesting at the negative presentation of the leather industry in a report that Greenpeace published last year on the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.
The two organisations said the allegations contained in the report, about the leather industry in general and certain European tanneries and their customers in particular, were unfair.
They say they appreciate the gravity of the problem described by Greenpeace (of cattle farmers illegally clearing land to be able to increase the size of their herds) and express their solidarity with the objectives of preserving the environment and avoiding "irresponsible harm" to the Amazon rainforest. They dissociate themselves from any form of "unsustainable generation of hides and skins", the statement adds.
"However," it continues, "COTANCE and ETUF-TCL regret the distorted vision with regard to the link made in the report between the issue and the leather trade and industry that has been further conveyed in the general press, amplifying the collateral damage caused to the image of the leather industry and to the reputation of the people who work in the leather value chain, including European tanners and their customers."
The organisations say that the general public deserves to know that the leather industry does not drive the demand for animal breeding and the development of herds or flocks for an increased supply of raw materials anywhere in the world and cannot be accused of driving the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. "The supply of hides and skins is independent from the demand for raw materials in the leather sector," the statement continues. "Hides and skins are residues produced in the process of generating food for people. If not processed into leather, the amount of hides and skins generated by the meat industry would become a significant waste disposal problem for society. The leather sector fulfils, thus, an important societal role in the management of waste and in creating value from waste, generating wealth and employment in the process."
It also explains that tanners face a real challenge in influencing upstream operators’ policies because of their size and relative bargaining power with regard to their suppliers.
COTANCE and ETUF-TCL say they support improvements in the traceability of raw materials in the supply chain for fulfilling sustainability objectives, and that they intend to go further in their sustainability agenda by developing together an appropriate code of conduct for their supplies of raw materials.
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