Earth-minded

“[Leather as a] raw input material is inherently sustainable,” echoes Deborah Taylor, the Managing Director of the Sustainable Leather Foundation. “But it’s what we do to convert it to finished leather that makes the difference in whether we can say that the end-product is sustainable or not.”

Founded by Taylor in 2020, the Daventry-based Sustainable Leather Foundation’s mission is to support stakeholders across an international leather value chain to improve their sustainability efforts. They do so through a modular audit system, which makes resources and guidance accessible and inclusive of the various challenges that manufacturers, brands, and other parties are facing. As such, she’s well positioned to assess where the global industry is meeting environmental, social, and governance goals and has observed a change in tanneries across the world looking to hold themselves accountable and evaluate their practices. “We’re seeing a shift,” she says, “it’s a small shift because we’re still starting out, but it’s a definite shift.”

“The Foundation was established as a direct response to the changing landscape that the leather industry sits within, where increasing expectations and demands are being placed on leather manufacturers without the necessary skills, training, or tools to meet those demands,” says Taylor. In the four years since the Foundation was founded, they have visited, trained and audited in over 20 countries, including the UK, Italy, Taiwan, America, Germany; and in places where the most support is needed, such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Namibia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico and Uzbekistan.

“When we add in the socio-economic impacts, it is morally important that we support these local economies so they can continue to rely on the leather industry for their livelihoods – something that isn’t always considered by many when talking about sustainability.” It’s this aspect that stands out as an important factor in helping to maintain and increase production and decrease numbers of waste hides.

Part of this work involves acting as an industry representative, working with NGOs and intergovernmental organisations and helping a global supply chain to respond and adapt to new legislation. “I work directly with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the European Commission Directorate-General for Environment’s Deforestation Platform to ensure that we have a voice at the table. This also enables me to disseminate information back into the industry at a practical level,” says Taylor. While relatively new, it’s clear that the approach of Taylor and the Sustainable Leather Foundation is bringing about the adoption of best practice at a faster pace.

Uptake of new practices and processes can make all the difference, and implementing sustainability innovation is a speciality of the Scottish Leather Group. With Bowden at the helm of its sustainability efforts, the company is one of the players leading the way through initiatives like water recycling and the recovery of energy from raw materials that would otherwise be considered waste in normal leather production — a process the business patented in 2012. “We want to do more and more with less and less, until we can make absolutely everything, [while] wasting nothing,” Bowden says.

There’s also the question of circularity, not only when it comes to waste and energy during manufacturing, but as it pertains to the leather products and making them so they’re able to rejoin the ecosystem once they’ve served their purpose.

The Scottish Leather Group is launching new products that can be composted at end of life, which requires complex chemistry to stabilise the collagens in the material. “The chemistry you use, the finishes and surface patina, all need to be compatible with that end-of-life goal,” says Bowden, noting that leather products also have to meet stringent technical specifications when they’re used for items such as car seats. “We need to stay ahead of legislation and stay ahead of consumer demand, giving them a product that has greater performance but a reduced impact throughout all phases of its life.”

On the brand side, a growing number of businesses are also taking it upon themselves to do more when it comes to championing leather’s versatility as a sustainable material. One example is British accessories brand Anya Hindmarch, which in 2021 introduced its Return to Nature collection. This collection is made with fully traceable leather and is designed to biodegrade at end of life, compost, and deliver 20% stronger plant growth, says the business’ eponymous founder.

According to Hindmarch the skins used in the collection were sourced from Scan-Hide’s farms in Sweden, which boast high levels of animal welfare and traceability. Hides were tanned with Zeology, which replaces chrome with zeolite, and the leather is free of heavy metals, aldehyde, and PU coatings, instead finished with Activated Silk™ Technology. “For us as a brand it is all about ‘progress, not perfection’”, Hindmarch adds. “This collection was a real labour of love but something I am very proud of.” Return to Nature has become a permanent part of the brand’s collections, and she cites growing appetite from customers for this type of product.