January-May figures show little impact so far of Hebei tannery closures
25/07/2014
The total volume of leather from the country’s main tanneries in the January-May period this year was just over 230 million square-metres, which represents a decline of 0.8% on the figure for the corresponding period in 2013.
In the early part of this year, details began to emerge of tanneries being closed in places such as Hebei province owing to environmental concerns.
On the subject of the impact of tannery closures, the president of the China Leather Industry Association, Su Chaoying, said in comments to World Leather at the end of June that he believes the total volume of semi-finished and finished leather from Chinese tanneries in the coming years will remain stable. The picture may change as full-year figures for 2014 become available, but his statement is borne out by these figures for the first five months of the year.
At the same time, he said remaining tanneries in China will become bigger and use more advanced technology. As a result, whatever happens to volume, the quality and value of finished leather from Chinese tanneries will increase, he insists.
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