Real Leather, Stay Different to continue in 2022
The Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) has said it expects “an adequate supply of hides” in the US this year, in spite of an expected contraction in the size of the country’s cattle herd.
Quoting figures from the US Department of Agriculture, LHCA said a contraction this year would bring to an end an expansion period that began in 2014. Towards the end of last year, a higher number of cows and heifers was evident in the slaughter ratios, signalling a reduction in the breeding herd.
LHCA said slaughter levels in 2022 are likely to be 2% down on 2021 levels, but that hide supply would still be sufficient.
“More important in the eyes of many US hides and skins suppliers, though, is the global leather demand situation,” LHCA continued, “and the rise of synthetic products as alternatives to leather.” It said that the situation was so dire in the past two years that millions of lower-quality US hides and skins were discarded and destroyed rather than processed into leather. It added that this trend has continued “as market incentives to process and distribute certain hides have diminished”.
To counter this, it said its Real Leather Stay Different programme will continue in 2022. This initiative celebrates the versatility, beauty, sustainability, and durability of leather, and seeks to encourage the use and purchase of US leather over synthetics by engaging brands, retailers, and consumers.
The campaign, which is now entering its third year, began regional and country-specific student design competitions in 2020. This paved the way for an international competition in 2021, with more than 2,000 design entries from nearly 40 countries. The 2022 International Student Design Competition is projected to exceed 2021 participation. “The contest aims to position leather as the material of choice among the next generation of designers,” LHCA said, “and to equip them with the knowledge and confidence to incorporate real leather in future designs.”
