COTANCE

EU and Mercosur reach political agreement on groundbreaking partnership For #Leather, it also means a unique chance to reinforce the partnership between one of the world’s largest markets for leather & leather articles with one of the world’s largest suppliers of hides, skins and leather, and an opportunity to support the implementation of the tough #EUDR #traceability requirements. More: https://lnkd.in/duuS84bs

On December 3rd and 5th, COTANCE participated in POLITICO Europe's #Sustainable Future Week in #Brussels. This high-level event gathered sustainability leaders & experts from the private and public sectors, including #EU institutions, offering a unique platform to unpack #GreenDeal policies and explore strategic insights from the new European Commission, which began its term on December 1st. ✍ Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ The new Commission will focus on simplifying procedures and reducing red tape, but the ambitious targets of the Green Deal are here to stay. However, it was acknowledged that some decisions were overly institution-focused, and certain aspects could have been handled differently—a mistake that should not be repeated! 2️⃣ From the Circular Economy Act to #carbonstorage,  leather has valuable input on nearly every topic. In the couloirs, attendees were briefed on what leather brings to sustainability discussions and impressed by its natural properties and potential within the circular economy. 3️⃣ #Leather has everything it takes to become a key fashion material in achieving Europe’s green goals. The next step is clear: communicate & educate. It will be our duty to convince authorities and the general public that leather is one of the most sustainable materials known to humankind. And you can start right now by following COTANCE on social media, sharing our messages, and reaching out with any questions about leather. Let’s spread the word about this beautiful material together!

#FREE feature article now online https://lnkd.in/dcBbhetv It now seems clear that businesses, including those in the #leather supply chain, will have an extra year to prepare for the complicated demands of the European Deforestation Regulation. The additional time is welcome, but companies will still have to work diligently to be ready in time, as this detailed article in the latest issue of World Leather makes clear https://lnkd.in/dcBbhetv #leatherindustry #freefeature #EUDR COTANCE Is It Leather? Sustainable Leather Foundation UNIC - Concerie Italiane Leather Working Group OEKO-TEX®ICEC - the only Certification Institute specialized exclusively for the leather sector

Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano of COTANCE updating delegates at the Sustainable Leather Foundation annual meeting in Northampton about the latest situation regarding the EU’s EUDR legislation. He outlined a study carried out by the University of Pisa which shows, among its conclusions, that the leather industry is NOT a driver of deforestation. Will the EU listen?

Did you know 40% of cattle hides—134M annually—are wasted, releasing 100M tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere? That’s equivalent to the emissions of 8.7M cars 🚗! Transforming hides into #leather isn’t just a craft—it’s a powerful solution to fight fashion-induced climate change, reduce waste, & create beauty that lasts. Read more in the COTANCE November newsletter, created in partnership with the Leather and Hide Council of America (#LHCA): https://lnkd.in/eDhRxvpw

Cotance e Leather and Hide Council of America, la pelle: da scarto a risorsa a favore del clima - Uno studio congiunto di COTANCE e del Leather and Hide Council of America mette in evidenza il ruolo della pelle nella sostenibilità ambientale, in quanto come scarto dell’industria alimentare le pelli animali rappresentano un grave problema ambientale, con un impatto persino superiore a quello precedentemente stimato. Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano Leggi l'articolo completo https://lnkd.in/dGt7xrNn

We are delighted to announce our final guest speaker for our SLF End of Year Partner Meeting on Tuesday 3rd December 2024, Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano. His presentation will focus on ‘The Pisa study’, which looks at the impact of the EUDR on the leather industry. Gustavo’s presentation will answer a number of questions including: - What does top-level academic research reveal with regard to leather being a driver of deforestation? - Does the EU leather industry have the power to drive EUDR-type traceability in the supply chain? - Will the planet benefit if Global Trade in the EU tanning sector declines due to the impact of the EUDR on trade?    Since 1987, Gustavo has led the Brussels-based leather industry association COTANCE. COTANCE is the sectors EU umbrella organisation gathering the National Tanners’ Associations of 11 European countries, representing over 90% of the continent’s leather production.   Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano is a qualified lawyer specialising in European Law.   If you have any other questions you would like to put to Gustavo, please add them in the comments below.   To register for the event please click here: https://lnkd.in/e-ry3Cf9   #slf #sustainability #ESG #leather #partnership #meeting #EUDR #deforestation #workingtogether #traceability

Another Day, Another Insight: This Time on #Plastic According to EUobserver, up to 19 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the environment annually—an alarming consequence of plastic production, which has skyrocketed from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to over 460 million tonnes in 2019: https://lnkd.in/e6BUm-A5 This week, world leaders gather in #Busan, South Korea, to tackle the plastic crisis. What’s the connection to #leather? None. Leather as a natural material, upcycled from meat industry waste into high-quality fashion, naturally typically biodegrades after its service life. But many #vegan “leathers,” rightly called “material monsters” by The Guardian, are fossil fuel products, often containing up to 50% plastic, sometimes even more. They don't disappear but clog ecosystems. Some argue that incorporating plastic into these so-called alternative materials is a sustainable solution since it helps #reuse plastic. But if that’s true, why is plastic production still increasing? Vegan "leather" is one of the contributors to this growth ‼️ We can only hope that world leaders don't close their eyes on the increasing problem of plastics in #fashion at this global conference. Will they be marking the first step toward reducing our reliance on plastic in fashion and fostering true #sustainability by acknowledging the merits of natural materials, like leather?

'...there is still a ton of work to do, to ensure COP29 delivers...' A interesting and busy couple of days at #COP29 in #Baku. A big focus on climate financing for adaptation and mitigation in the the agri-sector, including #livestock, with recognition that #smallholders will need support to transition to more #sustainable practices. The Azerbaijani Presidency also announced the launch of the COP29 Reducing #Methane from Organic Waste Declaration, with the ambition of reducing methane emissions from organic waste (OW) and in particular food waste, which accounts for 20% of methane emissions. The 30 nations endorsing the declaration represent 50% of OW emissions, including the UK, US, Brazil, Japan and Russia and 8 of the 10 largest emitters from OW. Reducing methane was described as 'our emergency brake in the climate emergency' The impact of these policies for #leather remains to be seen. Minimising OW emissions may draw attention to the issue of #hide disposal and the need to maximise their use – what better way than leather? On the other hand, livestock will be an obvious target for reducing methane emissions. Most surprising was the complete absence of the #fashion industry and any conversation about #materials. Other than one session on Weaving_Net_Zero_into_Fashions_Future (https://lnkd.in/e3RN-RZX), there was nothing on the agenda or at the event about materials or fashion (I only had 2 days and may have missed events). The leather industry must find a way to have its voice heard and to have policy makers understand the climate positive benefit of avoiding hide waste and the use of plastics. We need to look very seriously towards COP30 in Belem. COTANCE Leather and Hide Council of America UNIC - Concerie Italiane Leather Working Group Sustainable Leather Foundation Rogerio De Souza Cunha Bekir Burak Uyguner IULTCS Sarah Patterson James Lang Dr Warren Bowden Ivan Kral Federico Brugnoli

If skins and hides aren’t transformed into #leather, they end up in landfills, left to rot naturally—so what’s the problem? Many people are not aware that rotting animal-derived material produces GHG. Also, redundant hides left to rot in landfills produce these emissions. Globally, up to 40% of all cattle hides—amounting to 134 million hides annually—go to waste. In the #leatherindustry we know that this is a sad wastage of natural, renewable resources with an important environmental impact. However, the latest analysis of the Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) shows that the impact was much greater than previously thought. We were underestimating this figure by a factor of 8! Using the #ReFED impact calculator, #LHCA found that one tonne of hides in a landfill generates over 13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Globally, discarded hides contribute thus to more than 40 million tonnes of  CO₂-equivalent emissions every year: https://lnkd.in/eNhPbeJX To put that into perspective: 🚗 Equivalent to the yearly emissions of 8.7 million cars 🌳 Matches the CO₂ absorbed by 660 million trees over 10 years 🏡 Comparable to powering 5 million homes for a year But the story doesn’t end there:  By transforming all the World's 334 million hides produced annually and storing durably CO₂ in leather, we could avoid some 100 million tonnes of CO₂e per annum, generating just 13.3* million tonnes of CO₂e emissions (*using the #Eco2L/#GreenDeal average value for the cattle leather). Moreover, all these leather grains & splits produced could replace up to 3 billion m² of fossil-fuel-based fashion materials, which, btw, also contribute to climate change. Transforming hides into leather is part of the solution in the fight against climate change Kevin Latner Kerry Brozyna Kerry Senior Andreas Meyer UNIC - Concerie Italiane Fédération Française de la Tannerie Mégisserie Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano