Deckers aims to use only LWG-certified tanneries
The director of corporate responsibility and sustainability at shoe retailer Deckers has outlined targets to have 100% of the tanneries it works with certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG) by the end of next year.
“In terms of animal products, sheep skin is our biggest material, and leather is second,” said Mark Heintz, who joined the company two years ago.
Deckers recently became a member of LWG, a multi-stakeholder group that assesses the environmental performance of tanneries. “We only work with tanneries that have on-site treatment plants,” said Heintz to sustainableplanet.com.
Over the space of a year, the group studied its water usage, and found that 96% was being used in the manufacturing processes. It therefore decided to focus on its tanneries as a route to minimise water use.
“Now that we have this information, we will next begin to move forward with water reduction goals more specifically,” said Heintz. “We want to leverage off what the LWG does. A number of large companies participate with this group, and we want to collaborate with them on social and environmental issues, not compete with them.”
