Leather Manufacturers can join the group by having an LWG audit conducted by an approved auditor, LWG audits/membership remain valid for 24 months depending on the award. The audit generally takes 2 days on-site and is a comprehensive evaluation of a leather manufacturer’s environmental credentials. The audit is conducted against the LWG's Protocol and if the leather manufacturer performs well they achieve a medal rating and are promoted on the LWG website. The audit is also recognised and favoured by dozens of Global Brands.
Leather Working Group audited tanneries can be found globally and represent 20% of the world’s production of leather.
The LWG Assessment Protocol for Traders of part-processed material has been developed and refined over two years as the natural progression to allow part-processed material trader LWG members to fully engage in the LWG Programme.
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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.
Our philosophy on membership is that brands and suppliers fund the group through annual subscriptions, while leather manufacturers are assessed via the LWG Environmental Audit Protocol.
Approximate number of LWG members globally 650
Approximate percentage of finished leather as a proportion of world production 20%
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 450
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 Grade A 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%
LWG hosts two annual Main Member Meetings: one in Spring, to coincide with APLF in Hong Kong, and the second in Autumn to coincide with a European leather fair.
The Leather Working Group is made up of representative parties from different areas of the product supply chain including major brands, tanners, technical experts and other industry representatives. An Executive Committee is elected from the membership of the LWG by its members.
The Leather Working Group has published an online briefing on the goals, activities and collaborations of the group which fall under the remit of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Agreed in 2015, the United Nations created the 17 SDGs to serve as a call to action for individuals, organisations and nations to address major global challenges.
Visit the new webpage on LWG & the UN Sustainable Development Goals for more information on how LWG is contributing to the SDGs.