Topics for ALCA RLC session announced
The American Leather Chemists Association’s (ALCA’s) Research Liaison Committee (RLC) has announced the topics for its upcoming committee meeting, which will be held April 28-29.
The proposed topics include: a recap of the global and US raw material market; an update on issues pertaining to the US hide and leather industry (USHSLA); a regulatory and trade update; a recap of domestic leather activity; and reports from the USDA Eastern Regional Research Center’s (ERRC’s) hides and leather programme covering areas such as pretanning, the physical properties of leather, alternative tannages, by-product utilisation and finishing, leather quality (UV resistance) and non-destructive testing.
Membership and attendance to the RLC spring meeting is open to those affiliated with leather manufacture including tanners, product development executives, researchers, scientists, consultants, chemical suppliers, industry and trade lobbyists, students and those connected to the study and usage of collagen. Attendance has been growing for the past few years.
The RLC meets twice a year, once in April at the ERRC and then during the ALCA annual convention in June to review industry trends and requirements. In 2008, the RLC polled members of the ALCA, the US Hide, Skin and Leather Association (USHSLA) and members of the Leather Industries of American (LIA) to identify and prioritise the immediate and long-term needs of the industry.
