A Year in Review & Future Plans
We recently published our 5th Annual Report and as ever, we want to share our huge thanks to all our members!
Member support enables us to continue to deliver valuable work in the promotion of the positive benefits of leather.
By way of top highlights – here’s the summary!
- Our Impact Team is undertaking great work in the LifeCycle Assessment Study, ensuring data about the impact of leather is easier to understand – and find!
- We continue to champion education from our #Leather Truthfully campaign to our Modern Leather Making Guide.
- We’re now ranking as a leading authority to answer questions about leather thanks to our social media team and Google!
The Report reflects on some of our key achievements in 2023:
- A focused attention on digital marketing (SEO) and paid search means Leather Naturally is recognised by Google as an authoritative source to answer questions about leather. Additionally we know that 90% of the visitors to our website that click on a paid search link remain on the website for long enough to engage with the content – meaning that they are finding the information they came for!
- It’s A Long Story was an evolution of our 2022 education and enlightenment campaign – #Leather Truthfully. This campaign drove engagement with journalists by establishing Leather Naturally as a resource for fast facts about leather.
In 2023 we built on that progress. ‘It’s A Long Story’ was the world’s first digital exhibition that chimed with consumer narratives around slowing down consumption and focusing on leather longevity, repair and reuse. The exhibition positioned leather as the material of choice for a society that wants to do more with less, with features on repair, iconic leather products and an exclusive podcast with BBC presenter Suzie Fletcher. The exhibition, (at a time that Apple was abandoning leather) prompted Fashion Network to announce “The headline news might be all about leather alternatives but the leather sector is fighting back to prove its sustainability credentials’
- Audience engagement was a key theme through 2023, as Leather Naturally followed up World Leather Day with its ‘Get the Facts’ icon and an exclusive member dashboard aimed at making it easy to share information and promote leather.
- Our newly formed Impact Team started its work to further an understanding of how leather can be part of the solution for a circular economy, through data as part of Life Cycle Assessments and the wider context of regenerative agriculture. •
- The Modern Leather Making Guide continues to set the standard for easy-to-understand education around leather making. Now downloaded thousands of times, members are encouraged to share this resource with brands and retailers looking for accessible training tools for their teams.
- Adding value for our members and enabling our actions as a collective voice was the force behind the creation of our new member dashboard. Exclusive to Leather Naturally members, the dashboard has social media downloads, content ideas, presentations and more. Designed to be used as they are, or to provide inspiration and messaging ideas for your own promotions, the intention is the same, to empower the industry-wide engagement that will increase knowledge of the benefits of leather and its relevance as a modern material.
Looking ahead, Leather Naturally has been working with SPIN 360 on a Life Cycle Assessment Study designed to create a new benchmark for leather. During the completion of the work in 2023 a decision was taken to submit collectively with Leather Working Group, its LCA in order to strengthen the data as part of a submission to Worldly, (HIGG) with the intention of establishing a more up to date benchmark for leather. That work is ongoing and expected to be delivered Q3 2024.
Part of the remit of the newly formed Impact Team is to take some of the more complex topics around leather, and make them easier to understand. In 2023 it worked on Regenerative Agriculture, a subject that is gaining attention, especially in conjunction with its connection to leather. The resulting paper, which can be found here, explains it in simple terms and was one of our most widely read social links. In 2024 and to complement its key project, the team will deconstruct LCAs, creating brand toolkit explaining how they should be interpreted and used.
And hot off the press – we are delighted to share the best ever engagement results for our World Leather Day campaign 2024. We built momentum through the month of April with social media posts, videos, blogs, interviews and animated content that helped educate and inspire our community and consumers around our 3 core themes: Repair, Reuse and Repurpose.
We received 729 reactions, 900% increase in comments for April and received an average of 150 engagements on Linkedin and nearly 300 Instagram responses on World Leather Day! Thank you to everyone who downloaded our social media assets and helped share and reshare this momentous campaign.
Repair, Repurpose and Reuse: A Slow Fashion Movement Gaining Momentum
When The Restory announced the resignation of its co-founders, with imminent administration, the future of fashion repair looked bleak.
Established in 2017, The Restory, was considered a trailblazer. It was fashion’s leading luxury repair and aftercare service, with retail partners including Selfridges, Farfetch and Browns.
Forging new service sectors that swim against the prevalent tide need resilience. The Restory might have been the early sacrificial startup that paved the way – and lessons learned – for newer players. But whatever the impact of Restory’s demise, there’s a big problem we need to solve.
Recent research from the Waste and Resources Action Programme warns that aggressive production levels by fashion companies are wiping out the positive impacts of sustainability initiatives.
Fast fashion has a significant environmental impact. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
But Wiedemann et al. found that if the number of wears increased by 50%, the climate change impacts would be negative.
And according to Leather UK, garments made from long-lived, natural materials can have an undeniably positive action in reducing the climate impact of fashion and textiles.
So if we want to reduce emissions and the disastrous effects of global warming, we need to move towards repair and retain.
The good news is that consumer appetite for repair, repurposing and reuse already exists. According to Precision Reports 2024, US and European consumers are driving significant demand in footwear repair services. And global sales of pre-loved items surged by 18% last year according to Global Data.
What’s more, a worldwide survey by Deloitte revealed that 90% of 16-24 year olds plan to increase fashion recycling & purchase pre-loved items.
Indeed fashion brands are now beginning to stitch repair into their customer services. And we can celebrate that reuse and resale options through the likes of DePop and Vinted have struck fire with Gen-Z shoppers. With CEO Kruti Patel Goyal at the helm of Depop, the business has increased sales to £54.3million.
There is a step change. Repair, reuse and repurposing is emerging as a steady but growing industry.
For World Leather Day 2024, we want to spotlight the champions of the repair, reuse and repurposing industry. The global players. The trade bodies. The campaigners. The repair partnerships, the teachers and the small studios. And the fact that many of the leaders in the repair and recycle industry are women? Something additional to celebrate!
Who To Follow in Fashion and Footwear Repair?
The Boot Repair Company formed in 2011 in the UK from two family businesses with over 120 years of experience in the boot and shoe repair trade.
Having recently secured a partnership with Dr Martens boot repair, The Boot Repair Company is also responsible for the repair of boots for the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, including the Household Cavalry’s riding boots and jackboots and the boots worn by the Brigade of Guards.
The business offers a UK wide repair service for many high street brands and is an authorised repair partner for Birkenstock, Lowa, Redwing, Vivo Barefoot, Dubarry of Ireland, Haix and Solovair. The team repairs up to 5,000 boots each year for the British Armed Forces with highly skilled craftsmen repairing, stitching and welting each boot by hand.
Global luxury fashion house LVMH recently awarded its 2023 Innovation Award to repair platform, Save Your Wardrobe (SYW), a London-based startup that connects store representatives with tailors, cobblers and restorers to fix clothing, shoes, jewellery and bags.
“Save Your Wardrobe perfectly illustrates our ambition in creative circularity, a pillar of our environmental roadmap, Life 360,” Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH said in a statement.. “I am convinced that their solution will very quickly resonate with the aspirations of our maisons and the expectations of our customers.”
Founded in 2017 by Tunisian female entrepreneur Hasna Kourda, SYW can be integrated in store, online or with brands’ existing CRM. The platform is able to onboard in-house service providers or leverage its network of clothing care specialists. It currently works with an ecosystem of artisans in Germany, UK, France and the US (with the plan to expand to the Middle East, South Korea and Japan).
In May last year, Loewe opened a new leather goods repair and maintenance store in Osaka, Japan.
The store hosts leather artisans ready to repair and refurbish damaged Loewe products for customers. Loewe ReCraft also features services to personalise products with monograms, straps, charms and studs and sells goods made from upcycled leather scraps and material from old collections such as baskets and plaited leather clutches.
The brand has previously offered a repair service at its stores but is extending this further with a store entirely dedicated to care and repair.
Established in Australia, 1932 R.M. Williams believes there’s only one thing more comfortable than a new R.M. Williams boot, and that’s an old one! One that has become a trusted friend, that has shaped itself exactly to the eccentricities of your foot. Their ethos is that such a boot is to be treasured, to be maintained and preserved for years of faithful, comfortable wear. This is the foundation of their repair service.
Whenever their boots are in need of a tune-up, customers can bring them back to be repaired and restored by the hands that crafted them.
In Austria, Christina Roth not only makes custom, made-to-order items, she gives new life to old pieces by helping customers learn the skills of leather repair.
This includes cutting, glueing, and sewing leather, as well as learning how to place buckles and zippers, sculpt volumes and achieve perfectly smooth edges.
These techniques allow customers to create new leather goods or modify, reuse and repair. From belts and watch straps to home accessories, decorative objects, and handbags.
We recognise that many fashion houses are now offering leather repair services including Hermes, Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. And just this month, Selfridges announced the further expansion of its ReSelfridges concept store, offering second-hand and a curated selection of pre-owned accessories, while the London flagship will also offer repair, resale and customisation services, as it looks to continue encouraging customers to love and use what they already own.
We hope that by spotlighting these changemakers in repair, reuse and repurpose, we are also playing a part in encouraging consumers to think differently and honour long lasting leather pieces in all aspects of their use.
Repair, reuse and recycle – help us grow this global list:
- Atelier Petrov
- Boot Repair Company
- Christina Roth
- Die Lederprofis
- HandbagSpa
- LartisanduCuir
- Lederatelier Sikora
- Lederrepair24
- Lederservice Follman
- Lederzentrum
- Leder Reparatur
- Leder Weil
- Leather Repair Company
- Loewe
- Il Calzolaio Artigiano
- Start (lederreparaturservice.de)
Leather Naturally launches ‘Get the Facts’ icon
The ‘Get the Facts’ Icon supports consumers access clear information about the leather products and materials they buy.
The recent ‘greenwashing’ backlash has made it clear that consumers need clear information about the products and materials they buy. Understanding this, Leather Naturally has developed a ‘Get the Facts’-Icon, which has been created for brands, retailers, makers – indeed anyone that wants to provide access to straightforward, easy to understand information about leather for their audience or customers.
Available as a simple graphic link for online use (by adding the link: https://www.leathernaturally.org/resources/fact-sheets/, or a QR-code enabled icon that can be featured on Point of Sale at retail, in product brochures or magazines, even in training guides. It takes the user direct to the Fact Sheet section of our website, where they will find information they need in English, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese.
Leather Naturally Communications lead, Claudia Spahr commented, “We have seen an increased demand for fast-to-find facts and our new icon provides instant access to what we know is the most frequently searched information, as well the wider content of the Leather Naturally website, including our comprehensive Modern Leather Making Guide, which is also proving an invaluable training resource for brands and retailers.”
The ‘Get the Facts’-Icon is available, free to use for all and interested parties can register for more information about its use here.
Successful celebration of World Leather Day 2023
On April 26th the industry celebrated World Leather Day 2023.
It was a joint initiative between Leather Working Group (LWG) and Leather Naturally (LN) and its aim was to engage the industry to celebrate the positive attributes of leather. Leather is a circular material, a by-product of the meat industry and it is one of the original bio-based, durable materials.
This year World Leather Day united leather manufacturers, chemical suppliers, machinery suppliers, finished product manufacturers, industry associations, industry media, retailers, and schools to promote the positive attributes of leather with over 350 registering to participate in advance.
Particularly encouraging were the number of companies that took the theme and ran with it, creating their own posts featuring the World Leather Day logo and the theme of longevity.
Chair of Leather Naturally, Debbie Burton commented, “World Leather Day was imagined as a day to engage the industry and harness the strength of working together. The growth in participation this year was exceptional, now let’s build on it. If the industry can collectively maintain the momentum of 26 April 2023, it will be a powerful statement. Leather Naturally is committed to continuing its support as a resource for providing the information, materials and social messaging that will more easily enable that.”
Christina Trautmann of Leather Working Group added: “We’re thrilled with the success of this year’s World Leather Day celebrations and the level of engagement from stakeholders across the industry. It is inspiring to see so many organizations come together to showcase the positive attributes of leather and promote its sustainable and circular qualities. Leather Working Group hopes that we can continue with this momentum into 2024, and build the support for responsibly made leather as a sustainable material.”
Read more about World Leather Day
Leather Naturally acts as a global voice for the Leather industry to promote the use of certified, responsibly made leather by providing trusted facts and inspiration for consumers, designers and brands.
Aukje Berden joins Leather Naturally Management Board
Leather Naturally is pleased to announce that following a member vote, Mrs. Aukje Berden has been confirmed as a new member of the Leather Naturally Management Board with immediate effect.
Aukje has a MsC in Economics from Tilburg University and many years’ experience in agribusiness and sustainability, working with global networks and partnerships.
Aukje’s experience brings different perspective to the group that can only strengthen it further. Our thanks to Smit & Zoon who support her in this role.
Leather Naturally promotes the use of globally-manufactured sustainable leather. Its website www.leathernaturally.org is a key resource for information about modern leather manufacturing and the part it plays in a more sustainable society.
Announcing World Leather Day, March 30th 2022
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Leather Working Group (LWG) and Leather Naturally (LN) are introducing this global initiative to encourage organizations within the leather industry to positively promote leather.
As their first collaborative initiative, World Leather Day 2022 will be introduced on March 30 by Leather Working Group (LWG) and Leather Naturally (LN), with the aim of getting everyone talking about leather, raising awareness about the positive attributes of leather, and encouraging the industry to participate in next year’s event. World Leather Day 2022 conveys the core message that Leather is a durable, versatile, upcycled material.
“Leather Working Group is centered around positive collaboration, and we are proud to be one of the initiating partners of World Leather Day. It is an exciting communications event that aims to raise awareness and give the industry a well-deserved moment of positive press.” – Christina Trautmann, Head of Leather Working Group.
Over the years, the leather industry has suffered from a lack of communication and as a result, this has impacted the understanding of people outside of the industry. But a future with greater connectivity, transparency, and communication provides our industry with the opportunity to convey our own image. This is one of the key drivers for World Leather Day.
“Leather Naturally is pleased to be involved in organizing the World Leather Day to inspire brands, designers, and consumers about the sustainability of leather and the important role it plays in a circular society where nothing is wasted, everything can be reused, and ultimately is biodegradable.” – Egbert Dikkers, Chair of the Leather Naturally Management Board.
Take part in World Leather Day 2022
To get people talking about leather, a visually engaging social media toolkit has been created to convey the four core messages of World Leather Day 2022. Whether your organization is a leather manufacturer, brand, retailer, or supplier to the industry, you can request the social media toolkit and share it on your social media. The toolkit has also been constructed with different languages in mind, so you can translate specific elements into the language of your choice.
You can request the social media toolkit today by contacting
sonja@leathernaturally.org.
Get involved in World Leather Day 2023
As World Leather Day 2022 is only just around the corner, both LWG and LN recognize that many organizations across the sector would want to get involved in 2023. The plan is to have a much wider-reaching campaign that would involve multiple partners and signatories. To get involved in next year’s World Leather Day, contact Debbie Burton at Leather Naturally, info@leathernaturally.org.
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About Leather Working Group (LWG)
The global multistakeholder, Leather Working Group (LWG) , is a member-led not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to driving excellence in the leather industry, minimizing the impact of leather production and challenging industry perceptions, through a suite of tools and ESG certification. Discover more at www.leatherworkinggroup.com
About Leather Naturally (LN)
Leather Naturally promotes the use of globally manufactured sustainable leather. Its website www.leathernaturally.org is a key resource for information about modern leather manufacturing and the part it plays in a more sustainable society.
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Leather Naturally extends sponsorship IULTCS Young Leather Scientist Grant
Leather Naturally has been sponsoring the IULTCS Young Leather Scientists Grant competition with the Mike Redwood Grant of Euro 1.000/– since 2020, initially for a period of three years. Due to the success of this program and the need to stimulate young scientists and promote leather science to continue supporting a circular society, Leather Naturally has offered to extend the collaboration until 2030.
With the Young Leather Scientist Grant award, IULTCS and Leather Naturally would like to make a meaningful contribution towards research in leather. The grants will be given through IULTCS to scientists as additional support at free disposal to promote upcoming innovative Leather Research
projects.
The Mike Redwood Grant focusses on innovative environmental techniques applied to the leather industry e.g. wastewater treatment, solid waste and emissions. Studies on sustainable leather processing, new chemicals for leather processing, analytical method development, carbon footprint and water management.
Egbert Dikkers, Chair of Leather Naturally adds ‘We are proud to have the name of our founder connected to this award. Together with the IULTCS and the young students, we will continue to educate society about the crucial role that leather takes in a circular society where nothing is wasted, and everything can be reused and ultimately recycled’.
Jean-Pierre Gualino, President of IULTCS says ‘at a time of so much global uncertainty it is very satisfying to see Leather Naturally making this valuable long-term commitment to our industry. The young scientists are the very people our industry needs to help us now and into the future, while their spirit and enthusiasm for our industry will be a major motivation to them, an additional financial incentive will only help to encourage them to work hard for our combined futures. I would like to extend my continuing thanks to Leather Naturally for this generous gesture and ensure them that the IULTCS will help find and reward these deserved individuals who can benefit our industry so much’.
Mike Redwood, founder of Leather Naturally added ‘It is a huge honour to be associated with this award. Encouraging young scientists from around the world into the world of leather is vital and should lead to fulfilling and rewarding careers. Research in these areas makes a meaningful contribution to ensuring leather maintains its place as a top material functionally and environmentally’
More information on the Young Leather Scientist Grant can be found on the website of IULTCS IUR Research Commission > IULTCS
About Leather Naturally
Leather Naturally promotes the use of globally-manufactured sustainable leather. Its website www.leathernaturally.org is a key resource for information about modern leather manufacturing and the part it plays in a more sustainable society.
Media enquiries: Debbie Burton info@leathernaturally.org / mobile +44.79.79.700.363
About IULTCS
IULTCS the aims of the Union are to foster cooperation between member societies, to hold congresses to further the advancement of leather science and technology, to form commissions for special studies and to establish international methods of samples and testing leather and materials associated with leather manufacture.
Media enquiries: Christine Anscombe chris.anscombe@satra.com
Leather Naturally seeking new Management Board Chair
Leather Naturally announced that they are searching for candidates who are interested in joining the Leather Naturally Management Board as Chair.
The position of Chair becomes available after the current chair Egbert Dikkers indicated that we will take a sabbatical to spend more time with his family to contemplate his private and professional future after chairing Leather Naturally since 2016.
Leather Naturally is seeking candidates who are interested in devoting a considerable amount of time and energy in further expanding Leather Naturally in the interest of its members. This is a voluntary role and the profile can be found on the Leather Naturally website and candidates are requested to indicate their interest to the Chair of the Leather Naturally Supervisory Council, Jon Clark, at jclark@primeasia.biz
You can also contact anyone from the Management Board or the Supervisory Council for more information.
Leather Naturally promotes the use of globally-manufactured sustainable leather. Its website www.leathernaturally.org is a key resource for information about modern leather manufacturing and the part it plays in a more sustainable society.
Media enquiries: Debbie Burton info@leathernaturally.org
Leather Industry COP26 Reduce Fossil Fuels, Prioritise Natural Materials
Leather Naturally, along with 28 other international leather industry organizations, today called on the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to prioritize natural materials as a means of directly mitigating climate impact.
The “Leather Manifesto” written by the organizations, challenges the COP26 to recognize the cyclical, climate efficient nature of natural fibers and their potential for a positive contribution to reducing the climate impacts of consumer products.
“Natural fibers,” states the Leather Manifesto, “are part of the biogenic carbon cycle and as such are comprised of carbon that has been in the atmosphere for a millennia. These readily available raw materials, when ethically and properly produced, are an important replacement for fossil fuels, reducing the need for its extraction and retaining more carbon in the earth. Furthermore, at the end of life, properly produced natural materials will biodegrade, limiting their impact and mitigating harmful emissions, such as microplastic pollution, often associated with synthetic materials.”
The Manifesto further notes that natural materials, such as leather, are often dismissed through a lack of understanding of the manufacturing process and its supply chain, or through the application of questionable science generally in the form of incomplete and incomparable or outdated Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs). Alternative materials, often fossil fuel-based synthetic alternatives, use this confusion to make unsubstantiated claims about their sustainability.
“Leather is an upcycled materials that perfectly fits in a responsible and circular society” said Egbert Dikkers, Chair Leather Naturally. “The COP26 conference offers an excellent platform for global leaders to prioritize natural materials and reduce the dependency on fossil-fuel based synthetic materials” Dikkers added.
ENDS
Leather Naturally is a not-for-profit industry members association that focuses on education and the promotion of leather. We promote the use of globally manufactured sustainable leather made from hides and skins that are a by-product from the food industry that would, otherwise, be turned into waste.
More information on leather sustainability, production and education, can be found on our website https://www.leathernaturally.org/
Media enquiries: Debbie Burton, Communication Team, info@leathernaturally.org
Leather Naturally joins the leather industry in rejecting Volvo’s statement
The announcement wrongly links the use of leather with meat consumption. Leather Naturally expresses its concern about Volvo’s statement, especially with regard to finding high-quality, sustainable and recycled bio-based alternative to leather.
Hides (leather’s raw material) come from animals that have been raised for food. The world over, farmers do not raise cattle for leather production purposes; instead hides and skins are a by-product of meat and dairy production. If not recycled for leather, hides will become contaminating waste and there is there is a significant potential risk that Volvo’s announcement will lead to more waste. Leather Naturally urges them to reconsider as a matter of urgency.
Leather is a bio-based and biodegradable material that is versatile, long-lasting, and is sustainable in that it up cycles renewable raw materials from the food industry. In a circular society, focusing on zero waste, we have an ethical duty to use every by-product. And what better use for a food by-product, that converting it into a noble and beautiful material?
The tanning industry is environmentally responsible and important to economies across the world where tanning and associated industries, are vital elements in creating livelihoods that have helped and continue to help pull millions of people out of poverty.
If Volvo is serious about specifying sustainable, recycled bio-based materials they should look no further than the original article: “LEATHER”
Furthermore, Volvo has stated that “Livestock is estimated to be responsible for around 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions from human activity, with the majority coming from cattle farming”
The above statement is misleading and demonstrates a lack of understanding about the methane cycle. Cows emit methane, a strong greenhouse gas. But this methane is part of a natural carbon cycle, where the methane breaks down into CO2 and water after about 12 years. The grass then absorbs the CO2 through photosynthesis, cows eat the grass, and the cycle continues. Conversely, CO2 from burning fossil fuel stays in the atmosphere for potentially 1,000 years.
Additionally, methane emissions from modern agriculture are falling. In some countries the beef industry has more than halved GHG emissions since 2005. With investment into innovative emissions reduction practices such as regenerative farming and technologies that are becoming common practice, the meat industry aims to be become carbon neutral by 2030 and could be an important key to the climate solution.
For all the above reasons, Leather Naturally urges Volvo to reconsider their positions towards leather, a modern, versatile and noble material that is part of the solution for the dramatic sustainability challenges the world is facing.
ENDS
Note to editors
Leather Naturally is a not-for-profit industry members association that focuses on education and the promotion of leather. We promote the use of globally manufactured sustainable leather made from hides and skins that are a by-product from the food industry that would, otherwise, be turned into waste.
More information on leather sustainability, production and education, can be found on our website https://www.leathernaturally.org/
Media enquiries: Debbie Burton, Communication Team, info@leathernaturally.org