Leather Cluster Barcelona
takes part in the annual AQEIC congress

AQEIC, the Asociación Química Española de la Industria del Cuero, is holding its 66th annual congress in Igualada these days. The meeting is taking place at the Adoberia Bella, headquarters of Leather Cluster Barcelona, and brings together more than 50 professionals from the chemical sector and the value chain of the leather industry.

AQEIC was set up with the aim of promoting, disseminating and improving the technical systems of manufacturing and production in the tanning industry in Spain, contributing to innovation in the sector. Since its foundation it has brought together successive generations of chemical technicians and professionals of the country’s tanning industry. It is a member of the International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) and maintains ongoing contact with associations of the same kind in other countries.

Over the two days of the congress, a total of 17 papers will be presented with the latest developments and trends in the chemical sector specialising in leather, together with the presentation of reports and projects whose main themes are the sustainability of production processes and the biodegradability of leather. Of particular note is the presence of the research team and experts in various scientific and technological fields from A3 Leather Innovation Center, who are delivering a good number of the lectures, as well as contributions from other Leather Cluster Barcelona members such as Quimser and Curtidos Badia.

Jordi Vidal, executive director of Leather Cluster Barcelona, gave a lecture at this 66th AQEIC Congress to present the results and conclusions of the project on the perception of the image of the leather industry and its products, on which Leather Cluster Barcelona, with the support of Acció (Ministry of Business and Knowledge), worked for months alongside one of the international benchmark companies in the field of communication and strategy: Ogilvy. In his paper, Jordi Vidal also shared key messages, narrative, content pillars and channels for highlighting leather as a benchmark of the circular economy and sustainable fashion.

The purpose of this lecture at the AQEIC congress forms part of the Leather Cluster Barcelona strategy of sharing knowledge, forging collaborations and generating synergies in order to face the great communication challenge of reaching the general public and consumers in particular, so as to call into question perceptions that are often biased as a result of campaigns waged against leather by activists and other sectors in defence of their own interests. It is a ripple-effect strategy with the aim of communicating to the world, working from local to global action, in order to make contact with and reach all audiences.

Along these lines, in recent months the cluster has held meetings and collaborative projects on communication and other areas such as animal welfare, sustainability, the circular economy and sustainable fashion, with national and international bodies and associations of the leather industry, such as Cotance (The Confederation of National Associations of Tanners and Dressers of the European Community), Acexpiel (Asociación Española de Curtido), Anafric (a national association defending the interests of companies in the livestock and meat sector) and Leather Naturally (an international association for the dissemination and promotion of leather), or more recently with Leather & Hides Council of America.