"Develop more efficient & sustainable leather industry"

25 Mar '19

2 min read

Pic: APLF

Brands, retailers, manufacturers and tanneries from across the world are under pressure to deliver a cleaner, more efficient and sustainable leather industry. Opportunities for several innovation and environment-friendly solutions were discussed at the Sustainability in the Leather Supply Chain Conference 2019 in Hong Kong that concluded recently.

Eurofins BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd (Eurofins | BLC) and APLF hosted this diverse leather supply chain event that highlighted forward thinking leather industry issues, such as circular economy, supply chain management and sustainable materials. The conference was sponsored by Silvateam, Stahl, JBS Couros, ARS Tannery, Deichmann and Conseil National du Cuir.

Over 100 delegates attended the half-day conference to gain valuable knowledge and insight from organisations across the leather supply chain, including chemical companies, leather manufacturers, suppliers, brands and retailers. Delegates had a chance to participate in the discussion panel which featured leather supply chain representation from JBS Couros, ZDHC, AQM, NIKE, Deichmann, and Bellroy.

Carmen Chan, ZDHC board member delivered her presentation titled ZDHC program - How collective action is transforming an industry. She summarised how The ZDHC Foundation is helping to revolutionise the leather sector with support from ZDHC Contributors which include international brands and retailers.

A presentation of how to drive design and sustainability goals was given by Sarah Nichols, general counsel at Bellroy. The talk highlighted ways through which the company favours the natural look and incorporated this material property into marketing communications to customers as a unique selling point of their brand.

Antoine Bois Lemarquis, Group CSR operations director of AQM shed light on how to assess the environmental footprint of textile production. Providing a balanced view based on a wealth of experience in the textile industry and learnings that could be applied to the leather industry, Lemarquis illustrated a number of critical areas including legal compliance; developing environmental management systems; management of pollutants in wastewater and correct disposal of hazardous waste.

Jayne Estève-Curé, multidisciplinary fashion expert at Jayne Fashion Agency discussed how the emerging risks of the leather sector present themselves as key decision-making criteria during the consumer buying process. Jayne highlighted a number of environmental, animal welfare and social issues that rank highly among consumers, especially for the purchase of leather goods. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India