Why the Tannery of the Year is in Ethiopia
30/03/2010
At the first-ever Tannery of the Year Awards ceremony on March 29, the Ethiopia Tannery Share Company from the Africa region was chosen as the global winner of this new initiative. Tanneries from Germany, the UK, Ethiopia, South Africa, China, India, Vietnam, Mexico and Argentina made it through to the final vote held in Hong Kong.
The regional winners were Bridge of Weir for Europe, Ethiopia Tannery Share Company for Africa, Simona Tanning for China, PrimeAsia Vietnam for Asia excluding China, and Curtiembres Fonseca for the Americas. Some 50 tanneries were nominated for consideration and assessment, which has been carried out over the past ten months by World Leather, the leading business and technical magazine serving the industry.
Final presentations were made to the panel of judges, chaired by Alan Smith, who was vice-chairman for the Pacific region at leading global investment bank Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) until his retirement. He is currently a member of the Hang Seng Index Advisory Committee, and of the EuroMoney Asia Advisory Board.
Other members of the panel were Kim Reid, currently head of leadership and talent at British Airways, Professor Dr Bi Shi, president of the International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS), Paul Pearson, secretary to the International Council of Tanners (ICT), and Steven Jesseph, chief executive of Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP). They were assisted by Richard Daniels, one the leather industry’s top consultants who has been responsible for the concept and development of reedbed technology for the treatment of tannery wastewaters.
World Leather explained that the annual awards programme has been introduced to recognise best practice in terms of environmental stewardship, sustainability and social responsibility, as well as best corporate practice that includes labour policies and working with local communities. It said the industry, at one time considered to be a major polluter, is in fact today one of the principal business sectors working to enhance the environment. Without the tanners, the world also would have to cope with a major environmental headache in terms of getting rid of the hides and skins generated by the meat industry. Instead, tanners turn a potential waste product into a highly desirable material, the benefit of which is enjoyed by consumers worldwide.The magazine also said that the total value of the leather sector, including raw hides, finished leather and leather footwear, is estimated at $54 billion, a figure only marginally less than the combined total value of meat, coffee, tea, rice, sugar, cotton and rubber production.
It was significant that the panel of judges included three business experts from outside the leather industry. One of the fundamental aims of Tannery of the Year was to present the leather sector in a much more positive light to the outside world. The judges read and heard all the stories the finalist tanneries had to tell, and drew the conclusion that the most deserving finalist was the regional winner for Africa. The Ethiopia Tannery Share Company has launched initiatives such as running a clinic, not just for its more than 600 employees, but also the whole population of the village Ejersa, supporting the local school, not least because it is the tannery that feeds the teachers at lunchtime. The tannery has also launched a project to extract hot water from natural bore holes.
It was these stories that made the most impact on the judges.
Share this story:
