Expectations are growing for ACLE Shanghai

The 25th All-China Leather Exhibition (ACLE), the trade fair dedicated to the leather industry held annually in Shanghai at the New International Expo Centre in the Pudong district, is scheduled from 3 to 5 September. The event will cover an exhibition area of 80,500 square metres, 66,000 square metres of which will be occupied by Chinese exhibitors and the rest by international companies, including chemical and tanning technology suppliers with a significant Italian presence.

The next edition will certainly be driven by the excellent results recorded last year: 31 thousand visitors and the presence at the exhibition level of no less than 17 national collectives from nine countries, including Italy, Brazil, the United States and Australia, which created a dynamic and vital event. In recent months, however, many clouds have gathered over the Shanghai fair. The reasons for concern relate to the worsening international economic and geopolitical picture. China’s leather industry (and beyond) is suffering from declining global demand and especially from the general climate of uncertainty resulting from the trade war between China and the United States, which at the beginning of the Trump administration saw an initial phase of tariff escalation that virtually crippled trade, followed by a 90-day reprieve thanks to an agreement under which Washington applies tariffs lowered to 30 percent  on Chinese products and Beijing to 10 percent.  As for industry figures, despite an average decline of 15% in the first half of 2024, the Chinese leather industry is forecasting good growth prospects, particularly in the upholstery and automotive sectors (up 5%). It is worth mentioning that over 31 million new vehicles were sold in China last year, 20-25% of which had leather interiors.

Returning to the fair, in the same week as ACLE, Shanghai will host several other industry-related events. First and foremost, the 22nd UITIC International Technical Footwear Congress scheduled for 2 September: a major international event that will attract footwear experts and technicians from all over the world. Also important are the International Tanning Summit and the Annual Assembly of CLIA, the Chinese Leather Industry Association, which will take place on the sidelines of the fair and attract tanners from all over China.