UK leather industry environment spending up, employment down
Published by DEFRA consultants URS, the annual Environmental Protection Expenditure by Industry Survey for 2001 found that environmental spending during the year in textiles and leather production totaled £120 million ($192 million). The figure represents around 0.8% of turnover of the companies that responded and an average of £600 per employee. In 2000, spending amounted to £102 million, equivalent to 0.6% of turnover or £400 per employee.
Within the leather products sector including footwear and finished leather, environmental spending rose nearly three-fold from £12 million to £33 million (0.7% of turnover to 1.9%). This was on a total sector turnover of £1.65 billion. Expenditure per employee also shot up, from £550 to £1,850, though this was partly a reflection of the steep decline in employee numbers over the 12 month period from 27,000 to 24,206 (down to 16,100 by March 2003). The figures were recorded against a massive 21% fall in spending on environmental capital equipment within industry as a whole.
