09 November 2020

We announced at the recent LWG Member’s Webinar what some of our future plans are for the group, particularly in response to the main priorities of the industry as reported by our members in the annual LWG Member Survey earlier this year.  As a group, we agree that there needs to be more focus on multiple different areas, including: stricter environmental targets; social responsibility; sustainability; effluent treatment; chemicals; and traceability. What are we doing in response to this?  Protocol 7  We are currently working...

09 November 2020

Following the announcement in September, the Leather Working Group is pleased to confirm that the new LWG Traceability Working Group (TWG) has been finalised. The group is comprised of brand and leather manufacturer members of the group, as well as a representative from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).   The working group will review LWG’s current traceability definitions and the requirements within our audit protocols and consider how to facilitate better traceability across the leather value chain. In particular, the group will help to...

09 November 2020

In our most successful webinar yet, we welcomed over 150 attendees to the LWG Member Webinar, hosted on Tuesday 20th October 2020. We arranged the meeting to functionally replace our Milan meeting, which usually takes place in the autumn alongside the Lineapelle leather fair.   The presentations included an overview of the new audit protocols for the assessment of subcontractors and commissioning manufacturers, as well as update on the key changes that will be introduced in Version 7.0 of the LWG Environmental Audit Protocol (P7), scheduled for launch in Q1 2021.   We also announced our collaboration with ZDHC, and that all LWG certified leather...

09 November 2020

If you have visited the Leather Working Group homepage recently, you may have noticed that we have a new look!  Our team has been evaluating our online presence and how we can better serve our members over the past year, and so made the decision to revamp our homepage as a first step towards bettering our member’s experience and helping new visitors find the most relevant information about our group.  We launched the new homepage for the LWG website in late October 2020 and includes:  Quick links to our most visited pages  An Events block for information our next meeting or...

05 October 2020

The Leather Working Group has launched a two new standard designed to assess manufacturers completing subcontracting operations on behalf of their customers and companies commissioning 100% of their operations out to subcontractors.   LWG Subcontractor Audit Protocol  At present, when a leather manufacturer is assessed using the LWG Environmental Audit Protocol any subcontractors they use during their production process are included via a Mini Audit Report. As a result, any company completing subcontract work for a client may be assessed multiple times as their customers undergo an audit, but they do...

04 September 2020

Guest Contributor: Mauricio Bauer (Senior Corporate Engagement Specialist at National Wildlife Federation   The Amazon is a jungle larger than Western Europe and a crucial natural protection against climate change. It is a major source of the world’s fresh water and its vegetation is a giant filter for greenhouse gases. Although more than 80% of the original Amazon still stands, deforestation has accelerated in recent years driven by logging, soy, and cattle ranching, stimulated by ever increasing global demand. From 1964 to 1985, Government strategies of Amazonian integration led to the development of logistical infrastructure and promotion of migration to the region...

05 October 2020

The Leather Working Group (LWG) recognises the importance of transparency and traceability within the supply chain.  It is only through transparency of supply that consumers, brands, and their supply chain can ensure that the materials used in products can be sustainably selected and sourced.   Full transparency and traceability of all types of raw materials is a fundamental building block to ensure that inappropriate exploitation of people, places, and damage to the environment (such as deforestation and pollution) do not take place. For new members to LWG and as a reminder to our long-term members, it is important to understand a brief history of the group’s...

05 October 2020

Both Europe and the UK are currently looking into introducing new legislation that will aim to address the issue of illegal deforestation. These new rules will require a higher level of transparency and traceability in the supply chain, for products and their constituent materials, traded within these regions. The details of the specific requirements are yet to be decided.   For more information, please refer to the resources below.  News from the European Parliament:   Putting an end to EU-driven global deforestation  Binding legislation needed to stop EU-driven global...

05 October 2020

LWG hosted a virtual meeting for all members of the Animal Welfare Group (AWG) in lieu of the usual face-to-face meeting that would have taken place in Milan, alongside Lineapelle. The webinar was open to all AWG Members as well as existing LWG Members interested in joining the AWG.   Delivered on Tuesday 29th September 2020, The AWG Members were joined by the group’s Co-Chairs, Sarah Nichols (Bellroy) and Erika Benz (Adidas), as well as members from the LWG Facilitation Team. The virtual meeting gave attendees an update on the strategic direction of the LWG Animal Welfare Group.  In particular, the...

05 October 2020

The more recent iteration of the LWG Webinar Series featured a two-session overview of environmental management systems (EMS) in leather manufacturing facilities, delivered by Mark Lucas, an LWG Auditor and Member of the LWG Technical Subgroup (TSG).  The sessions covered how companies can create appropriate environmental policies by looking at the nature, scale and impacts of their activities, products and services. Building on this, the webinars gave an overview on how leather manufacturers can assess the impacts of their operations in areas such as energy and water consumption, discharges from the plant,...

05 October 2020

In an effort to make it easier for companies to understand their eligibility for an LWG Audit, we have developed a new online registration form for:  Leather Manufacturers  Traders (of part-processed or finished material)  Commissioning Manufacturers  Subcontractors  Any other company interested in obtaining LWG certification.     You can access the form here.  The form asks some basic, high-level questions about company operations on areas such as material ownership and types of production. Completing the form is not mandatory, but it will help our Administration Team and the...

07 September 2020

LWG is pleased to announce that we will host a virtual Member’s Meeting in October 2020, in lieu of our regular face-to-face event in Milan.   Following on from the success of our Member's Webinar in May, we hope to continue to offer our members a valuable update on the group through online channels, minimising the potential risks associated with travel at this time.   The autumn 2020 LWG Member’s Webinar is scheduled for Tuesday 20th October 2020 and will run for two hours (12-2pm BST/UK time).   We will cover a range of topics about LWG, our audit protocols, areas of technical development and other...