15 October 2019

08 October 2019

Following nine months of meetings and discussions, Leather Working Group (LWG) are delighted to confirm that we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNIC, the Italian National Tanning Association, on Friday 4th October 2019. Italy is an important sector of the global leather industry and LWG has a significant Italian membership, including around 50 leather manufacturers and trading companies, as well as machinery and chemical suppliers.  This new, more collaborative, relationship with UNIC will benefit the Italian tanning sector as well as our wider membership and we are looking forward to developing joint areas of work where we can strengthen our efforts to...

08 October 2019

The Leather Working Group held its 30th Group Member Meeting last week in Milan, alongside a series of sub-group meetings and other events.  The week began with working group sessions and a  meeting of the Executive Committee where final approval was given for a number of key initiatives including the launch of the new “Tannery of the Future – Are You Ready For An Audit?” self-evaluation tool and the next version of the Trader Assessment Tool, version 3.0.1.  Tuesday 1st October saw a record number of delegates attend the Group Member Meeting – over 150 registrations from all sectors of the industry and from all regions of the world.  For the...

08 October 2019

02 September 2019

Traceability remains an important and relevant issue for our members and we have recently had numerous requests for information on what LWG's requirements are.  Traceability has been part of our protocol since 2008 and our vision is to have a fully traceable supply chain although we recognise that this is challenging to achieve. It should be noted that: Geographical differences exist in how material enters the supply chain, such as culture, religion, economics and climate LWG's philosophy is to score traceability transparently as a separate percentage figure for material traceable to the slaughterhouse with physical marking, material traceable to the...

11 September 2019

Since 2005, the Leather Working Group (LWG) has promoted environmental best practice in the leather industry through the provision of an environmental audit protocol. Due to the ever-growing scope and remit of the group and its auditing tools, LWG has launched the LWG Education Hub, comprising a series of workshops and communications tools, to provide all members of the leather supply chain with a solid understanding of the key concepts that underline LWG and environmental stewardship as a whole. After the first successful training workshop offered in New York in July 2019, the Leather Working Group is pleased to announce that the next two workshops will be held at the Novotel Milano...

04 September 2019

03 September 2019

The Leather Working Group launches a new membership route for associations and groups working in the leather industry. The Leather Working Group (LWG) is committed to fostering improvement in the leather industry for the good of its members, the consumers and the environment. As part of our ongoing development, LWG is delighted to announce that the group can now accept membership from industry associations and groups in the form of an “Associate Membership”. Associate Membership will give eligible members all the same benefits as current members with the notable exception of voting rights. This is to protect the group from the effects of block voting...

21 August 2019

Australian fashion retailer Country Road Group has announced the goal to source 100% of their leather products from Leather Working Group (LWG) rated tanneries by 2020. Committed to improving traceability and promoting sustainability within the leather supply chain, the news comes with the launch of Country Road Group's new sustainability hub, which highlights the sustainable practices of organisations such as LWG. LWG aims to promote environmental best practice throughout the leather supply chain and many of our member brands rely on the LWG Environmental Audit certification as a crucial component in their leather sourcing strategies.  

22 August 2019

16 August 2019

A recent article in The Independent discusses the issue of the reality of using "alternatives" to leather that "pretend" to be leather.

LWG is quoted  by two different sources for our work in demonstrating responsible and sustainble leather production through our certified, audited leather manufacturers.

Click here for the full article:  The Problem with Vegan Leather - Is is really more sustainable?

Click here for more "LWG in the News" articles

21 August 2019