Jiangsu province has recently published the result from random inspections of leather goods carried out in the second quarter of 2005, which showed that only 27% of the goods tested reached the required standards. The inspections that were carried in retail outlets revealed that even goods in higher end stores such as Samsonite and Pierre Cardin did not meet the prescribed standards.

The inspection tested 68 varieties of leather upper shoes and 24 styles of bags displayed in the shops around the Jiangsu province, including Suzhou, Wuxi, Changshu and some counties of Shanghai. The results showed only 25 products out of those tested actually met the standards.

According to an official report many of the items, being marketed as leather, were in fact made from synthetic materials.