If not in this legislature, now running out of time, in the next one. The fact is that Portugal, as advocated by Cotance, will soon have law to protect leather. Nuno Carvalho, tanning entrepreneur and president of APIC, is quite sure when saying: “The two days of Expopele, which had among the guests exponents of the government and the public administration, were the occasion to make our requests heard and to raise awareness regarding our sector – are his words -. But the protection of the term leather from improper uses is not just our problem, but a need of the market: people want to be informed correctly about what they are buying”. The legislative initiative from Lisbon is not possibly going to save Brussels from its responsibilities: “The need for a European leather law remains”, concludes Carvalho.
Certification to Expopele
After the debate on authenticity and style, the second day of the Alcanena conference (April 11-12) was the occasion for the presentation of certification services for the leather area and for the comparison between the speakers and the experts among the public. Sabrina Frontini was able to illustrate the schemes offered by ICEC – the main reference institute in the sector – which are accredited by Accredia, while Deborah Taylor, the private ones of LWG.
