COTANCE to open membership up to leather sector’s ‘full spectrum’
Leather’s main representative body in the European Union, COTANCE, is to open up membership to a wider group of organisation. Its membership has always been made up of European leather manufacturers.
At an extraordinary general assembly at Lineapelle in Milan on February 13, COTANCE members approved a revision of the organisation’s statutes that will allow “a new category of members”. It said this revision had come after a year-long review.
Now, organisations “connected to the leather ecosystem” will be able to become supporting members of COTANCE and formally participate in its activities, although they will not hold voting rights. Supporting members will include education and training providers, research and innovation bodies, leather industry clusters, suppliers and other stakeholders.
COTANCE said this would lead to a broader, more inclusive representation of the leather value chain.
Current COTANCE president, Manuel Ríos, said: “The decision taken in Milan signals not just an administrative update, but a structural step forward: a more open, collaborative and future-oriented confederation, ready to support a modern European leather ecosystem.”
Secretary general, Gustavo González-Quijano, added that COTANCE would continue to represent the interests of European tanners, but would now also cover the interests of “the full spectrum of actors shaping the future of leather”.
He said this would put COTANCE in a better position “to address today’s challenges”, including sustainability, traceability, skills, innovation and global competitiveness.
Image shows Gustavo González-Quijano at Lineapelle in February.
Credit: UNIC.
