As part of the project, Montblanc will offset 200 tons of Co2, related to production in 2020.

Group CEO Giancarlo Dani (pictured) said: "The lifecycle assessment system allows us to assess the environmental impact of a product considering the entire lifecycle of the leather, from origin to destination, without stopping only at the intermediate processes of production and transformation that take place within the tannery.”

Dani had its LCA system certified in 2011 with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).

The group calculates that for one square metre of Dani leather, 10% of CO2 emissions are due to tanning processes and 90% to earlier lifecycle such as breeding, packaging or transport.

Nicolas Baretzki, Montblanc CEO, said: "We are proud to be the inaugural partner of this important initiative. The offsetting project created by Dani will help us to compensate 100% of the lifecycle of the leathers we make together, with the shared goal of progressively reducing emissions through new organisational models, innovation processes, research and development.” 

Offsetting is based on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the mechanism provided for by the Kyoto Protocol that allows companies to offset their emissions by purchasing credits to finance sustainable growth projects in developing countries. Access to these projects is due to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which allows companies to earn credits called CERs (Certified Emission Reduction). One credit is equivalent to one ton of CO2 not emitted or absorbed. The purchase of credits supports sustainable projects - Montblanc is financing the San Antonio El Sitio Wind Power Project in Guatemala.