ICT says deforestation is ‘outside our sphere of influence’
The International Council of Tanners (ICT) is the latest industry organisation to welcome the decision by the European Commission to remove hides and leather from the scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
ICT said the decision represented “a pragmatic, evidence-based approach to ensuring that the regulation is applied only to those commodities that drive deforestation”.
It explained that, as a by-product of the food industry, hides and leather have no influence on the rearing of livestock or on any associated risk of deforestation. “Hides and leather are not a driver of deforestation,” it emphasised.
According to the ICT, including hides and leather in EUDR’s scope would have a negative impact on the leather supply chain, in and beyond the EU, resulting in the loss of jobs and businesses, without making any difference to deforestation.
It said it recognises and supports the need to protect the world’s forests, but pointed out that the provenance of raw materials was a key concern for the leather industry long before the introduction of the EUDR.
“We remain committed to improving traceability through our supply chains,” the organisation continued. “However, the nature of the leather supply chain means that the necessary data is very often not available to tanners. As such, it cannot be right to make the leather industry responsible for issues and challenges that are outside our sphere of influence.”
It said it would continue to work with national associations, partners in the food sector and other relevant bodies and brands, to improve visibility along the supply chain and ensure that leather remains “a preferred choice for people and planet”.
Image: Lineapelle.
