COTANCE petitions EC over raw material situation
The COTANCE Council met on October 12 under the chairmanship of Albert Roselló (from Spanish tanning company Serpelsa). The aim of the meeting was to discuss the increasing scarcity of hides and skins as well as increasing prices.
According to COTANCE, the representative body of the leather industry in the European Union, prices have rocketed since the beginning of 2009 and have now reached unsustainable levels.
The organisation claims that demand for leather from European tanneries is recovering but is still fragile. However, with raw material prices up by between 50% and 170%, many tanners are struggling to stay afloat. It claims that price volatility has been exacerbated by export restrictions that have been applied by overseas trade partners, while the European market has remained open.
As a result, COTANCE has called on the European Commission to intervene, primarily by introducing export restrictions on European raw materials. It also called on the governments of all the EU member states to exert pressure on EU authorities on its behalf.
