From 6 to 18 November, COP 27, the UN climate change convention, is being held in Sharm el Sheikh. And there can be no summit on green policies for the planet without the great of the earth having proper consideration of the role of tanning. This is why ICT (International Council of Tanners) publishes its Leather Manifesto: “A leather supply chain that respects the role of animal husbandry in soil regeneration,” it reads, “that avoids the waste of a by-product and leads to the production of long-lasting products, helps to limit the damage of fossil fuel-based synthetics”.
A manifesto for COP 27
From the great of tanning to the great of the earth. Among others, UNIC – Italian Tanneries, Cotance (the acronym representing national tanning associations at EU level) and LHCA (federation of US tanneries and traders) have signed the ICT Manifesto. As was already the case at COP 26, when Stella McCartney’s vegan proposal (on the subject of fashion and design) received a certain showcase, the Leather Manifesto’s priority is to re-establish the circular nature of tanning.
Banishing synthetic
The Leather Manifesto aims to avoid the perception that alternative materials are the solution. Now, already, “every year, around 120 million hides, equivalent to almost 600 million square metres of material, end up in landfills,” the document states, “resulting in almost 15 million tonnes of CO2 emissions”. The problem is that, ICT continues, the industry replaces natural material “with synthetic alternatives derived from fossil fuels”. This is why the Leather Manifesto calls for COP 27 support for natural fibres, LCA methodology and “slow fashion”.
In the photo, from social media, Prime Minister Meloni’s speech
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