Bovine abounds in Italy’s leather output
Italian tanners’ reputation for working wonders with raw material of all kinds is deserved and undeniable. However, output from the industry in Italy in 2020 was completely dominated by finished leather made from cattle hides.
In its report on the Italian tanning industry’s results for 2020, industry body UNIC said that bovine leather commanded a 78% share of the 97.3 million square-metres of finished leather that constituted the country’s total output for the year. Tanners across Italy produced 75 million square-metres of finished bovine leather in 2020; this does not include sole leather for footwear.
Sheep leather was the second-biggest category with a production of 8.5 million square-metres, followed by goatskin, which contributed 6.7 million square-metres to the total, and calfskin, which reached 6.6 million square-metres. Leather from exotic skins, listed by UNIC under “other animals”, accounted for the rest, with a volume of 400,000 square-metres.
Total revenues from this volume of finished leather were just under €3.5 billion. Bovine leather contributed 75% of the total with €2.6 billion, earning tanners an average of €34.80 per square-metre.
Sheep leather and goat leather were cheaper, averaging €28.51 and €28.15 per square-metre, respectively. Calf leather was more expensive, averaging €50.16 per square-metre, while the small volume of exotic leather brought in €222 per square-metre.
