There is currently one draft open for public consultation.
- Labour & Social Responsibility as part of the Leather Production standard.
It is important that we receive feedback from all stakeholder groups to allow us to continue with the development of the Standards, the assessment tool and the guidance notes.
Please take the time to read the notes below before downloading the draft. If you have any questions regarding this public consultation, please contact the Leather Working Group Standards team at standards@leatherworkinggroup.com
Don’t forget – this consultations is separate from the Leather Production Standard, the Chain of Custody Standard and Section 15 of the Leather Production Standard , so this represents a new opportunity to share your feedback even if you submitted feedback before.
NOTES
LWG Protocol 7 will be replaced by the LWG Leather Production Standard and the LWG Chain of Custody Standard in 2026.
What is a Standard and why is it no longer a protocol?
A standard is a document that sets out requirements for activities or their results that should be met and recommendations for adopting best practice. The LWG Leather Production Standard is an easy to read and easy to understand statement of the aims and ambitions of the LWG with regards to the responsible production of leather. It is intended to be fully transparent and available to all.
Unlike a protocol, a Standard does not include the questions that will be used during the audit process. The audit questions will be listed in a separate assessment tool. Additionally, we will provide guidance notes for any leather manufacturer or facility that wishes to undergo an audit.
About the Labour & Social Responsibiity draft
LWG worked with experts from brands, tanneries, and NGOs to create rules about social and labour responsibility.
These rules are designed to fit organisations of any size. When assessing how well a company follows them, it is intended that LWG will consider how big or small the organisation is.
Social responsibility was introduced in P7 as a non-scoring section. In the Leather Production Standard the social responsibility section will be a critical section and will contribute to medal ratings.
Why is Leather Working Group conducting a public consultation as part of this Standard development process?
A public consultation creates inclusive dialogue between LWG and our stakeholders so that the development of the standard takes account of all stakeholders’ needs and concerns.
LWG wants feedback from brands, leather suppliers, suppliers to the leather industry, trade associations, NGOs, and any other interested parties. Public consultation enables us to develop robust and credible standards by taking into consideration the views of a wide range of stakeholders.
What’s the process for the public consultation?
We have provided a PDF copy of the two draft documents and a form for your comments. Tell us your proposed change to the requirement, and give us the reason for the change.
After the public consultation has closed, all comments will be considered together by LWG and industry experts and resolved. Resolutions may fall into 3 categories:
– Accepted
– Accepted with modification
– Rejected
We will publish our responses to the public consultation feedback (anonymised) alongside the final published Leather Production Standard.
The closing date for Labour & Social Responsibility is 28 December, 2025