Leather should be excluded from the EUDR

A strategic meeting at the European Parliament to urge the Commission to exclude bovine leather from the EUDR. On April 8, Italy and UNIC – Concerie Italiane, at a meeting organized by Cotance (the association representing national tanning industries in Brussels), brought the sector’s concerns to the attention of European institutions. The sector views the anti-deforestation regulation as an unjustified burden, since leather is not among the causes of deforestation.
“Hides and leather must be excluded from Annex I of the EUDR,” stated MEP Dario Nardella, the initiative’s promoter, “not because we oppose forest protection, but because effective legislation must target those truly responsible for deforestation, not those who repurpose waste into a circular and durable material.”
The debate comes at a crucial moment, as the European Commission prepares to finalize the Delegated Act that will update the products included in the regulation by the end of April. Tanners have reiterated once again that leather is not responsible for deforestation and that its inclusion in the EUDR lacks an adequate impact assessment.
Among the main concerns highlighted were: the lack of interest among livestock farmers in complying with the regulation for a product that accounts for only 1.4% of a cow’s value, the risk of the European industry relocating, and the potential generation of millions of tons of waste if hides were no longer processed.
The delegation included Cotance President Manuel Ríos, UNIC President Fabrizio Nuti, and Vice President Piero Rosati, along with board members Roberto Lupi, Michele Matteoli, and Marco Blasio, as well as Francesco Matelli, President of the Chamber of Arbitration for Leather.
In a closing statement, Cotance noted that the meeting brought a note of optimism for the tanning sector. Luis Planas Herrera, a member of Commissioner Jessika Roswall’s cabinet, emphasized that the upcoming adjustments to the scope of the regulation aim to preserve the industrial competitiveness of key sectors and ensure that the requirements and investments demanded of the industry remain proportionate, realistic, and meaningful.