UNIC welcomes EUDR decision but will keep its guard up
Italy’s main leather industry body UNIC has celebrated the exclusion of leather from the scope of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), but has said it will not let up in its efforts to monitor all developments in Europe’s regulatory framework.
Following the announcement of leather’s exclusion, UNIC said the European Commission had based its decision on several points that are fundamental to the leather value chain. Principally, it cited a recognition that leather must be treated differently from the meat supply chain.
It also said there was an acceptance that trade flows and the limited share of the economic value of cattle hides gave leather manufacturers “limited leverage” to demand from their suppliers the data necessary for compliance with EUDR.
In its reaction to the ‘delegated act’ in which the Commission has explained changes it now wants to make to the legislation, UNIC also highlighted imbalances in the original plan. This included leather in the scope of EUDR, but not finished leather products. The text of the delegated act shows and acceptance that this would have created “a fragmented and incoherent approach for the leather sector”.
The text goes as far as to say that this would have been more likely to result in businesses moving production away from the European Union than achieve the elimination of deforestation risk.
Image: UNIC president, Fabrizio Nuti, has said the topic of deforestation had been absorbing most of his energy since 2021.
Credit: APLF.
