01 March 2021

Want to take a deeper dive on some important changes in P7? Sign-up for one of our webinars today! Join us for a series of webinars that will take a deeper dive into some of the more significant changes to Protocol 7.0 – the newly released version of our flagship Leather Manufacturer audit standard. Focusing on key changes to the protocol, and addressing technical challenges across the leather industry, LWG will offer a series of virtual sessions delivered by technical experts. As P7 will officially go into use on 22 August 2021, the webinars are scheduled over the next six months. The LWG Webinar Series 2021 will feature the following...

01 March 2021

Traceability within the leather supply chain continues to be a crucial topic of discussion across the industry. Consumers want more transparency from the brands they purchase from, to ensure they can support and trust companies operating in a responsible manner.     Since 2008, LWG has included a traceability element within the LWG Leather Manufacturer Audit Protocol, originally added to assess a supplier’s ability to trace their material back to a slaughterhouse. The group then launched the LWG Trader Audit Protocol in 2016 to provide increased visibility across leather supply chain.   Most...

01 March 2021

If your organisation is a member of the LWG Animal Welfare Group (AWG), you’re invited to attend one of our virtual meetings on 4 March 2021. The AWG will host two online sessions to allow for attendance from all time-zones. The meetings will go over the output of the group for the 2020-21 half-year of membership and discuss next steps for 2021-22.    The agenda will include the following items:  An update on the AWG Animal Welfare Country Profiles   An update on the AWG Animal Welfare?Guide   Animal welfare policy examples  Changes to the...

18 February 2021

The Leather Working Group’s flagship environmental certification is evolving, with the release of an updated auditing standard for leather manufacturers, featuring more robust criteria and new social, traceability and chemical management requirements.  Covering approximately 25% of global finished leather production, and with over 680 leather manufacturers under LWG-certification already, the Leather Working Group represents the largest network of environmentally audited tanneries across the globe, providing brands with a responsible global supply chain.  Since...

01 February 2021

LWG will host webinars on the newest version of the LWG audit protocol for leather manufacturers on 24 & 25 February.  As we get ready to launch Version 7 of the LWG Environmental Audit Protocol (P7), it’s more important than ever that our membership understands the changes that are coming in the future.   P7 is due to be launch mid-February and will become mandatory 6 months later. Please be sure to download a copy of the protocol in our member area and review it in detail to understand all the changes.  P7 has been in development for several years, with the initial aim of integrating the LWG Chemical Management...

01 February 2021

Leather manufacturers can now access an online training portal designed to support them in their journey towards environmental best practice.  The Leather Working Group (LWG) has launched a new online training platform designed to educate leather manufacturers and other members of the leather supply chain on responsible operating practices.   The LWG Tannery of the Future self-assessment has been developed by the Leather Working Group and supported by the Solidaridad Network. Solidaridad is also part of the decision-making sub-group for the development of the tool, to provide crucial insight and experience from an...

01 February 2021

The annual LWG Member Survey is a crucial tool in determining our future strategy.  Our annual Member Survey opened for responses from member companies on 25 January. It’s more important than ever that we get feedback from our membership across the leather sector, to make sure we’re moving in the right direction.   You will be pleased to hear that 2020 was a busy year for the LWG. Based on your feedback, we made some significant developments in the audit protocol:  integrating chemical management  increasing the importance of traceability and introducing scoring,  adding a new...

01 February 2021

Following the release of the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines for Leather, ZDHC will host webinars to introduce the guidelines and provide information and how to use them.   ZDHC will also give some detail on the changes to the Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) and highlight the importance on completing supplier profiles in the ZDHC Gateway.  The two webinars are open to all and free to attend. They will be both be held on Wednesday 10 February 2021, at two different times to account for variation in time-zone. To register, please visit the links below:  10 February 2021 – 08:00am -...

01 February 2021

Leather manufacturers can begin their journey to P7 compliance with a chemical management tool, such as the ZDHC Performance InCheck Report  With the release of the next version of the LWG Environmental Audit Protocol (P7) around the corner, leather manufacturers will be expected to demonstrate additional chemical management good practice, complying with the ZDHC MRSL for leather as a minimum.   In November 2020, we announced that all LWG-certified leather manufacturers would be able to access the ZDHC Gateway – Chemical Module free of charge. Now, ZDHC have...

01 February 2021

We’ve recently received some reports of fraudulent emails being sent to our members impersonating a member of the Leather Working Group team.   We’re aware of at least two versions of these fraudulent communications, both of which contain requests related to invoices and payment information. The signatures of these emails identify a “Tobby Diassy” and a “Diane Flannery” – neither of these individuals work for LWG. It is possible that other names have also been used.   The intent of this email is to steal personal or business-related information and to redirect the payment of your...

27 January 2021

Press Release PDF download The Leather Working Group has achieved their thousandth member company from across the leather supply chain.  The Leather Working Group (LWG) announces a membership milestone, as their one thousandth member company has just joined the group. Established in 2005, the LWG was created as a non-profit organization, where brands and leather manufacturers collaborate to drive environmental best practice in leather production and sourcing.  “Reaching this milestone is a significant achievement that reinforces LWG’s...

11 January 2021

We’ll host webinars on the digital version of the ‘LWG Tannery of the Future – Are You Ready for an Audit?’ tool. The Leather Working Group will host two webinars in late January to promote the launch of the digital version of the LWG Tannery of the Future assessment.  Going live in early February, the virtual tool will allow tanneries to complete a self-assessment of their manufacturing operations and business practices on a range of different metrics. The digitisation of the tool will help ensure it gets into the hands of those that would...