Global Leather Alliance: a new voice emerges

A new independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of leather was officially unveiled in Milan on September 15, during the fair Lineapelle.
The Global Leather Alliance (GLA) was founded with the goal of becoming a unified platform to help the global leather industry speak with one voice, coordinate awareness-raising initiatives, disseminate objective information about the material, support training and research, and strengthen confidence in one of the world’s most natural, durable, and circular materials.

Its mission is “to bring together industry leaders to protect, promote, and support the future of leather.” Marc Smit, CEO of the Dutch tanning chemicals company Smit & Zoon, was appointed president, alongside Vice President Randy Johnson, CEO of Pangea, a global supplier of automotive leather.
In addition to Smit & Zoon and Pangea, founding members include the international companies JBS, TFL, Muno, AI Topper, Howe, and ISA.
“We are proud to support an initiative that unites our industry around a common mission,” said Marc Smit. “The challenges we face are too great to be managed by a single company, a single country, or a single stakeholder.”
The Global Leather Alliance therefore aims to build a global collaborative network capable of mobilizing the entire supply chain around a shared goal: to protect, promote, and enhance the value of genuine leather through industry engagement, information, training, cooperation, and communication grounded in scientific evidence.
As the organization itself explains on its website, the GLA “will strategically raise and deploy funds from the sector to scale up the most effective projects, fill critical gaps, and address the global challenges and opportunities facing the leather industry.” Priorities also include coordinating existing organizations and leveraging the expertise, research, and resources available throughout the entire value chain.
Initial funding will come from membership dues, with the goal of securing additional resources through private and public grants and other forms of support. Members will help define the organization’s strategies and activities by voting on which projects to develop and how to fund them.
The GLA also intends to invest in shared market research and science-based initiatives, avoiding duplication of efforts that individual organizations would otherwise have to undertake on their own. Another stated goal is to foster dialogue among the various geographic regions of the supply chain, helping to build a unified voice at the international level.
Jim Deheer, who has been appointed executive director, will lead the new organization’s day-to-day operations. An expert in sustainability and communications within the leather sector, he brings professional experience from the Scottish Leather Group, the Leather Working Group, One 4 Leather, and Leather Naturally. Another strategic role has been entrusted to Katie Kutskill, the leader of the U.S. leather advocacy campaign “Is It Leather?”, who has been appointed Governance & Strategic Advisor.
It now remains to be seen how the Global Leather Alliance will fit into the landscape of organizations already active in promoting leather, starting with Leather Naturally, with which it largely shares objectives and goals. The ability to develop synergies with existing organizations, while leveraging their work and expertise, will be a key factor in assessing the new alliance’s actual contribution to the industry.