Brands and retailers are commonly being asked by consumers for evidence of traceability, sustainability and environmental stewardship within their supply chains. Consumers are increasingly interested in knowing where their leather products have come from, and in some cases enquire as to which farm the raw material has originated from. Traceability also has benefits for brands and retailers in ensuring that quality is maintained and identifying patterns with lower quality materials, or identifying where issues are arising along the supply chain.
Additionally, there is a growing trend in consumers becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impacts the products they buy, resulting in the need for a more sustainable product offering and minimal environmental degradation. One of the areas of environmental risk is during the leather processing where chemicals are used to modify the hide into leather. If the control of the manufacturing processes or the effluent treatment process is substandard, there can be environmental impacts.
Improving Environmental Standards
One of the most significant collaborations working towards improved environmental stewardship in the leather industry is the Leather Working Group (LWG). The LWG is an environmental stewardship programme that has developed and published an audit protocol which allows tanneries to demonstrate their ability to trace their material, their energy and water consumptions and efficiencies, waste management, and more. Based on the audit findings, a facility may be awarded different levels of LWG certification.
BLC Auditing Services for the Leather, Footwear and Apparel Sectors
BLC have approved auditors to carry out audits to the LWG Environmental Audit Protocol and can audit facilities anywhere in the world. Additionally, BLC offer a number of other auditing services including:
- Chrome VI Audits
- Chemical Management Audits
- Chemical Uptake Assessments
- Laboratory Audits
Explore BLC Auditing Services today.
Contact BLC to Develop Your Environmental Stewardship
Does your business need support developing environmental stewardship? Contact BLC for further information on supply chain mapping or increasing the level of traceability of leather and leather sources in your supply chain, environmental audits and more.
You can contact a BLC Sustainability Specialist today via: info@leathersustainability.com, call +44 (0)1604 679 999 or complete the contact form at the bottom of this web page.
