Cuoio di Toscana: Breath for the Planet

On the occasion of National Tree Day, 21 November, the Consorzio Cuoio di Toscana celebrated one year of the Breath for the Planet project, launched in November 2023 and which has led to the planting of 50 trees in the San Bartolo a Cintoia Park. A project created with the aim of contributing to the ecological redevelopment plan, started in 2019, of a 10-hectare area and which is part of the Consortium’s tangible plan to protect the environment and promote eco-responsible practices.

‘Sustainability is not a claim, but a commitment that must be translated into concrete actions,’ commented Antonio Quirici, President of the Consorzio Cuoio di Toscana.

Among the concrete projects that the Consorzio Cuoio di Toscana has undertaken for a green and responsible economy is the CDT Prize, an ongoing initiative that enhances talent and sustainable innovation, raising awareness of the value of a high quality, Made in Italy product such as leather. Launched in 2021, CDT Prize has given support to international designers and brands such as Thebe Magugu, Act n.1, Marine Serre, Marco Rambaldi and Federico Cina, demonstrating how the raw material ‘leather’ can respond to the needs not only of the market, but also of the environment.

The leather produced by the seven tanneries that are part of the Consortium, located in the districts of San Miniato and Santa Croce sull’Arno in the province of Pisa, is in fact plastic-free, recyclable and derived from food industry waste, which would otherwise be disposed of in landfills or incinerated. Thanks to slow vegetable tanning in tanks, a practice that represents a virtuous example of circularity, the raw hides are transformed into a high-performance and compostable material, recognised worldwide as a quality brand with low environmental impact.

The seven tanneries are required to adhere to strict sustainability criteria, including animal welfare, water purification, solid waste recycling and the use of renewable energy for production activities.