Under the motto “Buy better, buy less, buy leather”, leather sector stakeholders from all over the world, among them Leather Cluster Barcelona, are calling on the United Nations Climate Change Conference to recognise the durability and longevity of leather as a way of curbing excessive consumption, one of the main causes of the negative impact of human beings on the environment.

The document, entitled Leather Manifesto, has been made public to coincide with the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference.

This conference has been held every year since 1995 and brings together representatives of the countries that have signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international environmental treaty addressing climate change.

This year’s edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference takes place from 11 to 22 November, with delegations from almost 200 countries meeting in Baku (Azerbaijan) to make commitments to curb the climate emergency.

More than twenty leather organisations from around the world are calling on the United Nations Climate Change Conference to recognise leather as a key material for a more sustainable future and as part of the solution to climate change.

The Leather Manifesto highlights the durability and longevity of leather as a way of limiting the climate impacts of consumer materials.

Leather products are recognised for their durability, lasting many years or even decades with proper care. Responsible consumption encourages buying fewer, higher-quality items that do not need to be replaced frequently. Leather fits this model perfectly, which reduces the need for constant purchases and therefore reduces the overall environmental impact.

In addition, leather items tend to be repairable, which means they can easily be mended rather than replaced when damaged. This helps to extend the product’s life cycle and generates less waste compared with fast fashion or synthetic alternatives, which tend to be single-use. Items such as leather bags, shoes and jackets can last years or even decades, offering consumers the opportunity to invest in better, longer-lasting products and becoming a sustainable alternative to a significant part of the fashion industry characterised by a throwaway culture.

The leather sector contributes to responsible, sustainable consumption by revaluing a by-product of the meat industry so that it does not become waste, in order to produce durable consumer goods.

The signatories of the Leather Manifesto also urge COP 29 to listen to the international leather industry in the development of the policies and regulations needed to combat climate change. In this respect, the leather industry is working to reverse the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

Leather is one of the derived products listed in Annex 1 of the EU Deforestation Regulation, even though there is no evidence that it is a driver of deforestation, as shown by the recent study commissioned by UNIC and COTANCE and carried out by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies of the University of Pisa (Italy).

It is very important that the legal and regulatory framework accurately and precisely reflects the traceability of products and the real impacts and benefits of natural materials such as leather.

Including leather within the scope of the EUDR is counterproductive for reducing deforestation and may, on the contrary, trigger highly damaging socio-economic and environmental consequences, since it could result in millions of hides being discarded and left to rot in landfill, with the consequent greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts.

Leather Cluster Barcelona is a competitive cooperation environment for promoting cross-cutting, transformative strategic projects with the aim of driving forward the ecosystem of the Catalan leather sector within the framework of Shared Value policies. The cluster is an accredited body within the Catalonia Clusters programme and has the support of Acció.