Deforestation: leather must be ready to win the argument again
The secretary of the International Council of Tanners (ICT), Dr Kerry Senior, has said the industry must not relax in its efforts to show that leather is no driver of deforestation.
At the start of September, World Leather shared on social media an article about the latest developments regarding the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
The article celebrates a breakthrough. After years of campaigning, with arguments based on science and common sense, the industry has secured the removal of leather from the scope of EUDR.
However, it added that, in the face of ongoing opposition and, in some cases, hostility towards the decision to exclude leather from EUDR, it is imperative for the industry to keep up the hard work.
“All the leather industry can do is to keep improving in terms of sustainability and circularity, keep amassing facts to support its arguments and keep working out the best way to tell those stories,” the article said.
In response to this, Kerry Senior pointed out that EUDR will be reviewed in 2030. By that time, he explained, there will be a new European Commission. There will also be politicians who may take a different view of EUDR sitting in the European Parliament.
He added: “It is essential that industry continues to gather the evidence to support our argument that leather is not a driver of deforestation. That data needs to be comprehensive and transparent.”
He said it was important for the whole industry to support the associations and other bodies that represent leather. “We have won the argument this time,” he concluded. “We must make sure that, if necessary, we can win it again.”
