In a landmark ruling that defends consumer rights, the Higher Regional Court of Cologne has officially prohibited Mina Merchandising GmbH, owned by TV personality Martin Rütter, from marketing synthetic products using the misleading term apple “leather.”

The decision, issued on July 4, 2025, follows a legal challenge initiated by the Verband der Deutschen Lederindustrie e.V. (VDL) – COTANCE member, after Mina Merchandising refused to comply with a warning over deceptive advertising of plastic-based dog collars labelled as apple “leather.” The court sided with VDL, confirming that the term “leather” may only be used when a product is made entirely or partially of animal hide.

The legal challenge, brought by the VDL, argued that labelling plastic-based products as apple “leather” misleads consumers and undermines the integrity of genuine leather. While a first-instance court rejected the claim, the Higher Regional Court overturned the decision on appeal, agreeing that the use of the term “apple leather” without actual leather content was deceptive and unlawful.

“This is more than just a win for the leather industry:  it’s a win for consumers and truth in marketing. We are not against innovation, but we are against misleading labels that confuse buyers and devalue traditional, natural materials,” – said Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano, Secretary General of COTANCE.

This ruling sends a strong message to all brands and marketers across the EU and beyond: materials derived from fruit waste, plastic, or synthetic compounds cannot be marketed as “leather”—a protected term that implies natural origin and a specific production process. The use of vague or greenwashed terms like vegan “leather” or apple “leather” risks violating consumer protection laws by misleading the public into believing they are purchasing an authentic, sustainable product.

“We are not opposed to new materials – but we do not want these materials to be referred to as leather in order to mislead consumers” – said Andreas Meyer, Managing Director of VDL.

The initial court ruling in 2024 dismissed VDL’s complaint, arguing that the color of the collar (blue) was enough to dispel confusion. However, on appeal, the Higher Regional Court rejected that logic and upheld the core argument: “leather” must mean leather. The judgment reaffirms that prefixes such as “apple,” “rhubarb,” or “cactus” do not justify misuse of the leather designation if no actual leather is present.

COTANCE applauds the persistent efforts of VDL in setting this legal precedent. As similar misleading practices grow across markets, this decision reinforces the urgent need for EU-wide rules protecting the authenticity of leather and ensuring a level playing field in product labeling.

The leather sector is running on a stationary treadmill: it is moving, but not advancing.

The start of 2025 confirmed what was feared: Italian leather goods are struggling to recover. The figures speak for themselves. In the first three months of the year, exports fell by 8.5% compared to the same period in 2024, with a sharp drop of 17.5% to Far East markets. Domestic demand? Down 4.4%. Turnover? Down 7.7%. And industrial production? Down as much as 16.4%.

In other words, the sector is not at a standstill, but is wearing itself out by keeping moving without making any progress.

This is what emerges from the economic report prepared by the Confindustria Accessori Moda Research Centre, which takes into account the performance of the Italian leather goods industry in the first quarter of 2025.

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EXPORTS LOSING MOMENTUM

Always the driving force behind the entire supply chain, Italian leather goods exports sold €2.44 billion worth of goods abroad in the first quarter, down €228 million on the previous year. The average price fell by 5.3% to €145.58/kg, continuing a deflationary trend that began in 2023 after the peaks of 2021-22.

The decline mainly affected non-EU markets (-12.4% in value), which account for 64.3% of total exports in value, while the EU held steady (-0.6%). Among the non-European markets in greatest difficulty are China (-31.5%), South Korea (-12.8%), Hong Kong (-15.4%) and Canada (-12.4%).

Switzerland, formerly a hub for luxury brands, saw a 47.7% collapse and slipped to 11th place among destination markets.

In contrast, the United Arab Emirates (+19.5%), Turkey (+27.6%) and Qatar (+18.8%) bucked the trend, confirming steady growth over the last five years.

THE US NODE: WHERE IS THE HISTORIC MARKET HEADING?

The United States, which in 2024 absorbed Italian leather goods worth over €1.2 billion, seems to be holding up: +0.7% in value in the first quarter. But the shadows are lengthening. The new tariffs imposed by the Trump presidency are fuelling uncertainty. 69% of Italian exporters expect significant impacts, and 47% are already exploring alternative markets.

Europe, Asia and the Middle East are the most popular destinations, while Mercosur remains – at least for now – off the radar.

DOMESTIC DEMAND: WEAK AND UNCERTAIN

The Italian market offers little consolation. Retail sales of leather goods and footwear fell by 4.4% in the first quarter compared to 2024, and remain 5.8% below pre-Covid levels in 2019.

The only positive note comes from tourism: foreign visitors spent 6.4% more, according to the Bank of Italy. But this is not enough to offset stagnant domestic demand.

PRODUCTION AND EMPLOYMENT IN DIFFICULTY

The ISTAT index of industrial production for the leather supply chain recorded a -16.4% decline in the first four months of the year. This is an alarming figure, only partially mitigated by a slowdown in the decline in April (-4.6%).

Layoffs are also back in the spotlight: +66.1% compared to the first quarter of 2024, with almost 13 million hours authorised. Tuscany leads the ranking, with over 5 million hours (+200%), followed by Campania and Marche.

The number of active companies fell by 1% (-46 units), while the number of employees fell to 48,184 (-530 compared to December). Fifty-two per cent of companies saw their turnover decline, and only 7% recorded increases of more than 10%. The outlook for the second quarter? Still negative: a further 6% drop in turnover is expected.

HANDBAGS REMAIN QUEEN, BUT…

Handbags remain the best-selling product (€1.68 billion, equal to 69.1% of exports), but are losing ground (-10.6%).

Suitcases (-12.8%) and small leather goods (-4.5%) are also down. Belts are bucking the trend: +5.9% in value and +25.3% in volume, although still far from pre-2019 levels.

In terms of materials, leather products are holding up better (-4.6%) than substitutes (-16.8%), but the decline is widespread.

THREATS PERCEIVED BY THE SECTOR

A survey of Assopellettieri members confirms widespread concerns. The main threats identified are:

· weak demand (77%);

· the Russia-Ukraine conflict (62%);

· new US tariffs (42%);

· tensions in the Middle East (27%);

· the slowdown in international luxury brands (25%).

Added to this are rising raw material costs (23%), the German recession (23%) and the shortage of skilled labour (20%).

CONCLUSIONS: THE SECTOR IS IN THE TRENCHES

The Italian leather goods industry is going through a period of resistance rather than recovery. The fundamentals remain solid – product quality, international reputation, ability to defend markets – but the context is among the most difficult of the last ten years.

As the report notes, the trade balance remains positive (+1.52 billion euros in the quarter), but down 15%. This is an important sign, but it is not enough.

Vision is needed. Strategy is needed. Above all, demand needs to start breathing again.

The appointment follows the departure of Danny D’Alessandro, who left the position to pursue new professional opportunities after a long career at the helm of the association.

The dual appointment

In her new role, Bevilacqua will lead the growth and consolidation strategies of Assopellettieri and Aimpes Servizi. Her goal is to strengthen the role of both organisations as a point of reference for companies in the sector, working in synergy with institutions, associations and stakeholders at both national and international level.

Federica Bevilacqua’s professional career

Federica Bevilacqua brings with her over 16 years of experience in international contexts and in the fashion industry, with specific expertise in the organisation of trade fairs. Prior to her appointment, she served as deputy general manager of Assopellettieri and head of marketing, communications and special projects. She contributed to the development of MIPEL and the creation of the event ‘Gli Stati Generali della Pelletteria Italiana’ (The States General of Italian Leather Goods), coordinating numerous projects to promote Italian leather goods around the world.

A report focused on the need to preside over the work of the Brussels legislators that of UNIC President Fabrizio Nuti, yesterday in Milan at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Italian Tanneries. “For the past four years,” said Nuti, “my energies have been practically absorbed by opposing measure No. 1115/2023, that is, the Anti-deforestation Regulation, in the knowledge that, as it is written, it will have devastating effects on our sector. An effort that has taken the form of letters, meetings, various solicitations to MEPs, technicians, lobbyists, but also in the organization of seminars and webinars culminating on June 3 at the European Parliament where the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna study was presented showing that leather is not a driver of deforestation. An enormous amount of work that so far has apparently produced little result except for a letter to EU President Ursula Van der Leyen from Council Vice-President Antonio Tajani who, after meeting with the Unic president, took action “diligently and seems to have fully understood the gravity of the situation.”

A common home in Brussels

Noting the difficulty of changing laws that have already been passed, such as precisely the Anti-Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the tanners recently moved the offices of Cotance (which represents European tanning) to a large new headquarters in Brussels “which I would like to become a reference point for all associations in the leather supply chain and beyond.” Located near the European Parliament, “it could become the home of all the natural materials such as wool, silk, cashmere, etc. that share with us the daily problems and attacks.” Unity is strength,” Nuti explained, ”and having a common voice is worth the investment. There is a need for lobbying, which is transparent but necessary, also to prevent the passage of dangerous laws just as happened with the EUDR. The idea of collaborating with other supply chains stems from the observation that all natural materials have, just like leather, a very high environmental impact index compared to materials of petrochemical origin such as PVC, nylon and polyester. A paradoxical situation due to erroneous assumptions (in the case of leather, the inclusion of animal husbandry that should be discorporated since leather is a by-product) that needs to be changed by pursuing LCA studies carried out with accurate and up-to-date scientific data, as specialist Federico Brugnoli, CEO of SPIN360, also had the opportunity to explain in the following speech, thanks to whose work it was possible to lower the score of leather by 70% in the infamous Higg index related to the sustainability of materials.

New projects

President Nuti then reviewed the many activities carried out by the association over the past year. Among the most important is the collaboration with the Ministry of Made in Italy to draft a bill aimed at creating a univocal certification system within the fashion supply chain, by third-party certifiers, to defend against the proliferation of customer audits on the most disparate requirements. Also noteworthy is a new project dedicated to sustainability called “Leather Leaders” on which UNIC is working together with SPIN360 and other partners and which is based on three basic pillars: supply chain collaboration, science and data, and alliances with related sectors (wool, silk, etc.). The aim is to create a core group of brands and supplier companies to draft a protocol to achieve green goals and build a shared platform of innovation and knowledge that can drive the whole sector.

The 2024 results

As for the economic results, 2024,“ the UNIC president recalled,”was another difficult year, in which negative signs prevailed (production -4.5 percent, exports -3.6 percent), the result of persistent suffering in the fashion, furniture and automotive supply chains. The consequence is that “industrial and commercial reorganization phenomena are multiplying. Companies are aggregating, supply chains are integrating, procurement and financial investments are diversifying. And while we probably won’t all agree on this, this, in my opinion, is a sign of health for the industry, an indicator of the dynamism that continues to pervade our world. A luxury brand won’t invest in the capital stock of a tannery if it doesn’t believe in the leather material. Just as a financial fund would not do so if it believes that the tanning business is unattractive in profit marginality.”

 Guests

After the president’s report, the microphone was passed to Dario Fabbri, geopolitical analyst and editor of Domino magazine, who gave a talk focusing on the attacks on globalization and explaining the meaning of the Trumpian policy on tariffs. According to the expert, the US president does not aim to tear down globalization, but to redefine its balance at the expense of the EU and China.

There were numerous speeches by UNIC Assembly guests who enhanced the event by speaking about their fields of expertise. The following took turns on stage: Giovanna Ceolini (president Confindustria Accessori Moda), Agostino Apolito (general manager Assomac), Maurizio Maggioni (national secretary UNPAC), Michele Matteoli (president Tanners Consortium Ponte a Egola), Riccardo Bandini (president Tanners Association of Santa Croce sull’Arno), Roberto Giannoni (mayor of Santa Croce sull’Arno), Mirko Balsemin (president of the tanning section of Confindustria Vicenza) and Sonia Tosoni (secretary of FILCTEM CGIL).