Leather at the Core of Global Sustainability

The second Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation, organized by FAO, concluded on October 1.

For the first time, the International Council of Tanners (ICT) and UNIC – Italian Tanneries took part as the international voice of the leather industry, alongside COTANCE and the Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA). Their shared goal was to promote leather as a circular driver within the livestock value chain.

Kerry Senior, Secretary of ICT, emphasized that leather — often regarded as waste — is, in fact, a renewable resource with a lower environmental impact than fossil-based materials. The FAO LEAP program has acknowledged this value by including leather in its guidelines on the circular bioeconomy.

The industry is now calling for concrete action and greater integration into global policies.