ADDITIONAL WARNING FOR LEATHER

ECONOMY

ADDITIONAL WARNING FOR LEATHER

By Luiz Bittencourt and Hélio Mendes

There is no doubt that the world is changing and reflecting the significant changes in the values and behaviour of people.

Among the main changes is the growth of veganism that is gaining speed backed by promises of health improvement and weight control, contributing to slowing climate change down as well as guaranteeing animal welfare and adding benefits at will.

The reason for this success is in social media activity transforming daily eating habits and consolidating them as universal trends.

This innovation, that may become disruptive, has brought about reasonable disarray in allied sectors such as the leather industry that is being constantly and unjustifiably attacked.

The reason for such hostile attitude towards leather has to do with animal welfare even though it is well known that pelts are just a sub-product of the beef industry.

Results have been disastrous for the leather industry with a rather discouraging outlook. 

Considering that the Brazilian tanning industry has invested heavily in the production of raw material for the automotive industry in view of the switch from leather to man-made materials by the footwear industry, an article published by the British magazine, Autocar, has brought about great concern.

The analysis in the article entitled “How veganism is changing the car industry”, the author reveals a growing appeal for the comprehensive use of fully man-made materials in automotive upholstery.

The article ends with a request by Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes-Benz to phase out leather entirely by replacing it with man-made materials in their Formula I cars. Still according to Autocar, Yvonne Taylor, director of corporate projects for animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), told the magazine that, the car industry “has been slower to capitalise on the demand for vegan products” compared to other sectors.

As per the Autocar article, “for the car firms, it’s been a question of market demand”: Mercedes says that “leather remains the most popular choice for upholstery in its cars, although it is developing new vegan leather alternatives” and other high-end car manufacturers such as Ferrari, Jaguar, Volvo, Ford, Land Rover, Tesla, Volkswagen, Bentley and Toyota as well as Mercedes would be reacting to the change in consumer demand, too.

Demand for leather will survive for some time but alternative materials are increasingly being appreciated by consumers.

It is obvious that strengthening the deconstruction of the image of leather has been increasingly successfully orchestrated in that, unquestionably, it has managed to move leather away from the market in general.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that through great effort leather still retains its image as a luxury material offering comfort and beauty wherever it is used as well as remaining the object of desire of many.

Until when?

The answer to this question depends on the perception of the severity of the situation, on the plan to be executed and the quality and intensity of the reaction to such attacks that have, so far, not been properly rebutted.

Though weakened, thanks to its inner strength, leather has so far managed to stay alive and active but the current picture demands the urgent and indispensible use of intelligence in this confrontation.

Luiz Bittencourt – Former Executive President of Center for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB) and former Vice President of International Council of Tanners (ICT) – [email protected]

Hélio Mendes – Government and Business Consultant – www.institutolatino.com.br