Call from the leather industry to Europe: exclude leather from the EUDR

The leather industry has mobilized to call for a revision of the EUDR, the European Union Deforestation Regulation, which is set to take effect in 2027. Several representative organizations, coordinated at the global level, have submitted a joint request to European institutions to remove bovine leather from the scope of the regulation. The International Council of Tanners (ICT), supported by the International Meat Secretariat and ICHSLTA, has sent a formal letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen requesting the exclusion of bovine leather from the Anti-Deforestation Regulation.
The request reiterates that there is no scientific evidence linking leather to deforestation. On the contrary, independent evidence, such as the study by the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, indicates that leather is a byproduct of livestock farming, playing no decisive role in the economic dynamics that could lead to forest destruction. For this reason, the exclusion is considered a coherent and useful measure to make the legislation more balanced and practical.
Concerns also center on the potential economic consequences: according to COTANCE, the current regulatory framework could significantly limit the supply of raw hides to European companies in the sector, with negative effects on competitiveness, costs, and the entire production chain.