Market Intelligence: Weak orders detract from hopes for 2026
Our latest Market Intelligence newsletter went live on October 28 and is available here.
It makes clear that uncertainty continues in the global leather industry, with political instability and weak demand for leather and finished leather products as the main reasons. It points out that this is particularly true of the industry in Europe at the moment.
Long-term challenges such as high production costs and regulatory pressures are adding to concerns.
In an interesting aside, the newsletter mentions that artificial intelligence is attracting attention, particularly in applications for automating the identification of defects in hides.
However, Market Intelligence says any commercial benefit from this remains limited so far.
It notes that there are messages around the industry of a possible uplift in 2026, but warns that, so far, this is not backed up by any noteworthy increase in orders.
