Leather Manufacturers are able to join the LWG after having completed a successful LWG audit, conducted by an LWG-approved auditor. Membership to LWG is valid for 24 months. The 2-day audit is an evaluation of a leather manufacturer’s environmental credentials.
LWG-audited tanneries can be found globally and represent 20% of the world’s production of leather.
Traders of part-processed and finished material may join LWG by completing the LWG Trader Audit.
750+
Leather Manufacturer Certifications
Our objective is to develop/maintain a protocol that assesses the environmental compliance and performance capabilities of leather manufacturers and promotes sustainable environmental practices.
The LWG is a non-profit organisation, and our membership is made up of both subscription members and audited members. We are a multi-stakeholder, community-led initiative, and welcome the input and engagement from all of our members to drive us forward. We also collaborate with other key organisations and look to align, draw on each other's strengths, and avoid duplication of efforts where possible.
Subscription members fund all of the work that we do, and includes brands, suppliers, associations and certain traders (who cannot currently be audited). We rely on these subscriptions to do the work that we do.
Audited members include leather manufacturers, traders, sub-contractors, and commissioning manufacturers. The route to membership is through an audit. The LWG is not funded through audits.
Please explore the links below to find out more.
Approximate number of LWG members globally 945
Approximate percentage of finished leather as a proportion of world production 23%
Average water saved by the LWG rated leather manufacturers each year 12.1 billion litres
Average energy saved by the LWG rated leather manufacturers each year 775 Megawatts
Approximate number of leather manufacturers under certification 626
Approximate volume of leather covered by the certification 3.9 billion ft2
Approximate volume of wet blue under certification 3.2 billion ft2
Approximate volume of wet blue with traceability 1.9 billion ft2
Average water reduction by category C leather manufacturers over 4 audits 35%
Average water reduction by category D leather manufacturers over 4 audits 30%
Average energy reduction by category C leather manufacturers over 4 audits 48%
Average energy reduction by category D leather manufacturers over 4 audits 33%
Sign-up for one of our meetings or webinars - or access a recording or presentation from a previous event here.
LWG is made up of representative parties from different areas of the product supply chain, including brands, leather manufacturers, technical experts and other industry representatives.