France: too few young consumers recognise leather as a natural material
France’s Conseil National du Cuir has published the results of a study it commissioned recently to examine attitudes to leather among consumers in the country.
Almost three-quarters of the people who took part (74%) said they recognised that leather is a long-lasting and natural material.
Not everyone who took part identified themselves as buyers of leather, but of those who did, 63% said they regarded leather as being more resistant than the textiles or synthetics they buy too.
Six out of ten participants said they are in the habit of repairing products made from leather when required and more than 30% said they buy some leather products second hand.
However, while 87% of respondents aged 55 or over acknowledged leather as a natural material, that figure fell to 54% among consumers aged between 18 and 24.
Commenting on the study, the president of the Conseil National du Cuir, Frank Boehly, said: “The results show that a majority of people in France have a positive perception of leather, in spite of numerous ideas to the contrary that they might pick up, with some of those ideas cropping up persistently.”
He said the leather industry was increasing its efforts to convey accurate information about leather and raise awareness of its qualities, especially among younger consumers. He described leather as being “a material that is responsible by nature”.
