New HIGG score does justice to bovine leather

The news is a few months old but worth remembering. In its latest update, the Higg MSI index, which measures the sustainability of materials, has adopted a new dataset for cowhide that virtually sees its environmental impact halved. This is thanks to an extensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study conducted by Italian specialist company SPIN360 in collaboration with Leather Working Group (LWG) and Leather Naturally. Thanks to this work, carried out on primary data derived from a large number of tanning productions surveyed, the impact of the Higg MSI cowhide has now been more than halved, guaranteeing the leather a much more favorable sustainability score. This is an achievement to be proud of and confirms the importance of continuing to produce scientific data to make the case for leather.
Specifically, the new leather scores reported by the HIgg MSI index, which, although contested by various organizations, is unique and is consulted by fashion designers worldwide, see the impact of cowhide as a whole reduced by 55/67 percent. Specifically, its Global Warming Potential (GWP) drops from 36.8 points to 14.6.
How was this result arrived at? Spin 360, responding to requests from Leather Working Group and Leather Naturally, collected data from 45 factories from 18 countries and analyzed 92 cowhide products (of all types: accessories, furniture and car interiors). It was on the basis of this wealth of information that the Milan-based agency produced the largest aggregate LCA (life cycle analysis) calculation of the material, which was then submitted for third-party verification. Submitted for Higg MSI’s attention, this work forced the index to revise its leather ratings in its latest update.