ICHSLTA wants to be a bridge between meat and leather on carbon footprint
13/04/2015
Led by president, Nick Winters, the group confirmed its mission to promote the use of hides and skins to the global leather industry as a valuable raw material, and to continue to promote the use of “the only truly globally respected” international hide and skin contracts, numbers 6 and 7. It pointed out that it continues to discuss updates to international contracts numbers 6 and 7 with its colleagues from the International Council of Tanners (ICT). The last version was updated in 1993, but ICHSLTA said it will “endeavour to launch new versions conjointly with ICT”.
One of the most important topics for discussion at the Hong Kong meeting was the EU-led pilot project on leather’s environmental footprint. ICHSLTA delegates received an update on sector stakeholder negotiations relating to allocations of the environmental footprint burden across the value chain.
ICHSLTA noted that the project’s steering committee recommends an economic allocation of upstream burdens as a “default model” for the leather industry to follow, taking into account a three-year trailing average hide price. It noted also that the leather industry “has voiced its opposition to this method and would like hides to be considered as recyclable waste with zero burden”. But it said the majority of players in the meat industry believe the hide should not be considered a waste of the beef or dairy process and should be allocated “some share of the upstream burdens”.
It said it will continue to monitor this pilot study and “facilitate exchange between the meat and leather industries”.
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