The bigger picture for leather

Mike Redwood

Columnist

International Leather Maker

The story of leather is an old one, but the story of its transformation into an outstanding leader in modern materials over the last 60 years is only now being told. Tanners have taken leather through the evolutionary process of environmental care, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, environmental, societal and governance responsibility to a circular reality founded on rules that include the essentials of longevity and repairability.

In the moment the COP30 (Conference of the Parties) conference taking place from November 10-21, in Belém, Brazil it is  important to explain why the global leather industry is engaged not only in making wonderful leathers but doing so based on supporting the essentials of the three tightly integrated long term elements that are vital for our planet and all things living here. They are biodiversity, climate mitigation and climate change.

The dramatic moves by the wider leather industry to handle responsibly the evolution of sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, the ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) agenda get ahead of REACH and other restricted substances lists and more lately Life Cycle Analysis and Carbon Content: all done with an eye to the UN Sustainable Development Goals has created a determined pathway. It is why the industry can stand up and say that it is fit for the 21st century and beyond.

Leather is helped by its origins and its history of continuous adaptation over many millennia. Leather has never stood still. Tanning has always been a capital-intensive business so once established it is quite hard to move to a new location. Making things from leather has always been simpler and more creative when done nearby but can be easily moved and provides large numbers of jobs not vulnerable to automation or, today, the uncertainty of AI. Since leather has always involved communities and people both tanneries and leather people try to be good citizens. Their approach to business is closer to the ethics that Adam Smith outlined in his book on Moral Sentiments than the 1970s view that shareholders must be the only beneficiaries of business.

Biodiversity, climate mitigation and climate change

As COP30 starts evidence shows that the moment for avoiding a 1.5°C rise in the global temperature has passed. That means mitigation must move to top of the agenda. At the same time tanners need to think about mitigation, climate change and biodiversity together, as all overlap. How does the leather industry help to avoid tanneries being flooded, running out of water, or there being no raw material as rising temperatures makes livestock husbandry too difficult. The recent experience with huge floods in Spain (Valencia) and Brazil that impacted tanneries and shoe factories as well as the households of employees only goes to show that this is now close to home; and temperature rises in Europe are currently moving faster than elsewhere.

So, tanners must plan and start to implement actions now to secure their future. Renewable energy is a first to allow tanneries to protect themselves against rising costs and a failure in their national supply network. Tanners use solar, gas generation from solid wastes, biodiesel from fleshings, as well as geothermal, ground and heat source but little of this is publicised. Equally wind generated energy now has turbines suited for factory roofing and small spaces plus tall turbines using electro-magnetic vibrations instead of sails. A surplus of renewable energy would offer energy for summer cooling on top of all the normal uses. And make it easier to find the energy for operations such as osmotic filtration of wastewater to remove salt.

Experimenting with tree use in tannery grounds also helps reduce the temperature and builds directly into the joint biodiversity and climate change that arises from regenerative farming that is becoming increasingly important for the leather supply chain. Silva-pasture where trees offer wind breaks and shades can reduce localised temperatures up to 2.4°C for every 10 metric tons of woody carbon added per hectare by 2050. This depends of course on type of tree and planting density, but the point that trees cool is well accepted. As long as the grass is not overgrazed, by using a mob grazing system or similar, the soil is improved, holds 10% more carbon and 15% more water. This comes as a result of more organic matter being held in the soil fostering resilience to drought, reduced soil erosion, and enhanced nutrient cycling, contributing to overall livestock system sustainability.

Defining regenerative agriculture is hard as it has to be tailored to the existing state of the land as well as the climate and the terrain. Despite this complexity allowing for a lot of greenwashing the basics are now so well known that most tanners will not be deceived when confirming traceability in the supply lines.

I continue to return to Walter Stahel when writing about the circular economy because he is the modern times originator of putting longevity and repair before consideration of recycling. But these are key points where leather has a natural advantage over almost all other materials and while leather articles often last decades there is no doubt that even one extra year makes a huge difference in the true carbon footprint and price per use of an item. Given that Life Cycle Analysis is defined by the boundaries set almost none yet are able to offer a proper benefit from longevity, but it is something that consumers are now starting to appreciate.

When looking at carbon in the leather supply chain the story of methane always arises as the overwhelming problem. A calculation using the newer GWP* would be fairer than GWP100 for measuring methane from livestock, and anyway it is clear from California that farming now have the means to reduce this methane in various ways.

At the Glasgow COP there was promise by 100 nations to reduce methane by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. Yet this week Kayrros satellite data revealed that methane emissions from six major signatories (including the U.S., Australia, Kuwait, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Iraq) are now 8.5% above 2020 levels. All because of oil, gas or coal production rather than livestock. United States emissions from oil and gas have risen by 18% since 2020.

Leather is an honest material

It is not the time to accept blame for methane from livestock, but rather to fight for the good that leather is doing for the planet. And to promote more of the individual activities being supported throughout the supply chain from animal husbandry to product life extension as well as renewable energy. Leather is a good citizen, and an honest material.

mike@internationalleathermaker.com

You can find Dr Mike Redwood across social media at @michaelredwood.

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