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Keep reading...Eighty years of history spanning the association, industry, and culture. Looking toward the future. The 80th Annual Meeting of UNIC – Italian Tanners (at Po.Te.Co.), the 80th Annual General Meeting of UNIC – Italian Tannery Association, an event that celebrated a symbolic milestone for the association founded on April 9, 1946. The association represents one of the most significant sectors of Made in Italy, with a value of approximately 4 billion euros and recognized international leadership in quality, innovation, and environmental commitment.
During the Assembly, Alessandro Iliprandi (CEO of Bonaudo Spa), a historic Italian company specializing in the production of high-quality leathers for the luxury segment, was elected president of UNIC. Alessandro Iliprandi is the association’s 19th president and will be joined by vice presidents Matteo Mastrotto (Rino Mastrotto Group), Fabrizio Nuti (Nuti Ivo Group), and Gianni Russo (Russo di Casandrino).
“This is a particularly difficult time for the industry,” says Alessandro Iliprandi. “We face many challenges, but we have vision, courage, and a constant drive to improve on our side. Among the priorities of my term will be strengthening collaboration with our customers throughout the supply chain, ensuring even more effective representation at the European level, and supporting a culture of training and leather craftsmanship, with a particular focus on the younger generations and the dissemination of skills.”
The Assembly also provided an opportunity to look back on the association’s eighty years of activity through the presentation of RADICI, the historical volume produced by UNIC that chronicles the evolution of Italian tanning from the post-World War II era to the present day. Through documents, images, and testimonials, the book highlights the value of an industrial, cultural, and manufacturing heritage that has accompanied and continues to accompany the international growth of Italian leather and has helped shape the sector’s identity.
A heritage that, as outgoing president Fabrizio Nuti noted in his farewell address, represents a strategic resource for the future: “UNIC is not just a representative body. It is also a forum for dialogue and growth for the sector, helping our companies defend and enhance their production model.”
The 80th-anniversary celebration comes at a particularly challenging time for the tanning industry. In 2025, Italian tanning production declined by nearly 6% in value and 4% in volume, while exports fell by 5%. The number of companies and employees also declined, confirming that the economic outlook remains difficult.
Straddling tradition and innovation, culture and industry, UNIC’s 80th anniversary reaffirms the association’s central role in representing, protecting, and promoting Italian leather worldwide, supporting companies as they face the challenges ahead in the coming years.
