WWF & Tapestry: Reducing the Environmental Impact of Leather
Leather is sometimes seen as a more sustainable, natural and biodegradable alternative to plastics – but its environmental impact goes further than disposal.
Cattle ranching, leather’s primary source, is responsible for around 80% of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, and the production of leather items is water intensive.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has introduced the Deforestation-Free Leather Fund, offering companies a chance to financially support strategic projects aimed at improving the sustainability of leather supply chains.
“While leather is a byproduct of the beef and dairy industries, it still carries responsibility for embedded impacts and emissions in the supply chain,” says Fernando Bellese, Senior Director for Beef and Leather Supply Chains at WWF.
“Companies that use leather, including those in the fashion, automotive and furniture industries, have unique leverage within the supply chain to encourage and support more sustainable practices by influencing beef and tannery operations.”
How sustainable is leather?
According to the WWF, millions of acres of land in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay are converted each year for cattle ranching.
Leather is a byproduct of beef production, but demand does not always keep up with the demand for beef.
In 2019, more than 5 million hides were wasted in the US alone – enough to make 110 million footballs.
Leather supply chains are long and often opaque, making it difficult to find the raw materials’ origin.
However, leather alternatives are often made from fossil fuel derived plastics that don’t biodegrade and have less reuse and recycling potential.
Collective action for sustainable success
The fund will initially focus on operations in Brazil, with plans to expand to other beef-producing countries in South America.
By targeting geographies with ecosystems at higher risk of environmental degradation, the initiative aims to accelerate deforestation- and conversion-free sourcing from these regions.
Tapestry, a leading New York-based house of lifestyle brands including Coach and Kate Spade, has already made a financial commitment to the fund.
This commitment builds upon the Tapestry Foundation's US$3m philanthropic grant to WWF in 2022, which aimed to develop an innovative system to enhance traceability of the leather value chain in Brazil.
“Tapestry’s investment in the fund continues and expands the company’s commitment to addressing climate change through long-term sustainable solutions and immediate actions,” says Logan Duran, Vice President of ESG and Sustainability at Tapestry.
“We believe strongly in the importance of sustainability in leather manufacturing, and this commitment reaffirms that belief. We invite other companies, both within and outside our industry, to join us in these efforts.”
WWF will oversee the governance and day-to-day management of the fund, aiming to collect US$10m from companies to cover its first three years of operations.
The fund’s focus areas
The Deforestation-Free Leather Fund will support initiatives in three areas:
- Traceability systems to verify responsible sourcing
- Farm-level investments to promote the supply of deforestation- and conversion-free leather
- Farm regularisation to support market access.
These efforts aim to support the ear-tagging and individual traceability of 1 million head of cattle in the first three years of activity, while also promoting the recovery of 45,000 hectares of degraded land.
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