On September 9 in Paris, over 400 fashion, luxury and design professionals, 40 industry experts and 25 exhibiting companies took part in round tables, keynotes, pitches and other exchanges on the theme of sustainable development in the leather industry. Luxus + was press partner of the event.
The event has become a must for the leather, fashion and design industry…
On Monday September 9, the sixth edition of the Sustainable Leather Forum (SLF) took place in Paris, at the Maison de la Chimie. The event brought together over 400 professionals from the fashion, luxury goods and design sectors to discuss the main CSR challenges facing the leather industry.
Round tables, keynotes and pitches
The latter were able to enrich their knowledge thanks to round tables, keynotes and other pitches (a format introduced this year) led by nearly 40 experts. They tackled crucial issues such as the evolution of livestock farming, traceability and deforestation; the future of the French tannery and weaving industry; the progress of studies on the environmental footprint of leather; a new CSR reference framework for French leather goods and, finally, the use of plastics in fashion and sport.
The day also enabled participants to discover 25 exhibiting companies ( l’Atelier des Matières, ICEC, Corium, Hidexe, Recycuir, Retraced, GSC Group, Footbridge, ICEC, Authentic Material, LWG, Les Compagnons du Devoir, ICFA, Trustrace, ID Factory,…), likely to support or reinforce their CSR approach, whether in terms of material traceability, responsible sourcing, certification or reuse…
Strengthening links
Forum participants were welcomed by Christophe Dehard, recently elected President of Alliance France Cuir (formerly Conseil national du cuir). Accompanied by General Manager Marc Brunel, he emphasized “the growing importance of the SLF in strengthening links between the various players in the leather industry.”
Christophe Dehard, who is also President of the Fédération Française des Cuirs et Peaux, welcomed the “increased recognition of the upstream part of the industry” and stressed the need to “take up the crucial challenges linked to livestock issues, on which leather production depends”.
A gala dinner, attended by the philosopher Raphaël Enthoven, gave the “happy few” the opportunity to exchange views on “their vision of the future of leather, and to outline together the main lines of the 2025 edition of the Sustainable Leather Forum”.
The complex challenges of livestock farming
Delphine Neumeister, deputy head of Social Approaches and Labor Services in Livestock Production at IDELE (Institut de l’Élevage), reminded participants of the “complex issues involved in livestock production”.
The mission of IDELE, a “renowned technical institute supported by the French government, dedicated to managing the multifaceted challenges of extensive livestock farming”, is indeed “to improve practices ”. And in the current context of animal welfare controversies, Delphine Neumeister provided a useful and comprehensive insight into “current debates and collective mobilizations in the sector”.
The first round table of the day also saw international experts recall “the strategic but often overlooked role of the raw hides and skins trade”, situated “at the intersection of the livestock and tanning industries”.
Nick Winters, Vice President of International Relations at the Fédération Française des Cuirs et Peaux (FFCP), Fernando Bellese, Managing Director of Beef and Leather Supply Chains at WWF USA (World Wildlife Fund), and Shemina Amarsy, Sustainability Standards and Value Chain Advisor at ITC (International Trade Centre) shared their expertise on “the key challenges and opportunities facing this sector”.
These included “theorganization of international trade and the regulation of hides to optimize their recycling into finished hides in tanneries, the impact of breeding practices on the quantity and quality of available hides, with particular emphasis on traceability and measures to combat deforestation”, and finally, more generally, “the benefits and challenges of achieving sustainable development objectives in this industry”.
Beyond regulatory obligations
For her part, Rachel Kolbe Semhoun, Director of Sustainable Sourcing and Nature Initiatives at Kering, highlighted the luxury group’s various initiatives in favor of the agricultural world, and more broadly vis-à-vis regenerative agriculture and nature.
Lastly, the “French Tanneries and Leather Goods Looking to the Future ‘ round table highlighted companies that stand out for their ’strong commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)”, with “ sustainable and ethical practices” that go “beyond regulatory obligations”.
Olivier Marsal, Director of Industrial Operations at HCP (Hermès Cuirs Précieux), Sylvain Bussière, Managing Director of Tanneries Roux (LVMH Métiers d’Art) and François Roques, Director of Mégisserie de La Molière, highlighted the CSR practices of their companies: promoting the attractiveness of the trade within the tanning sector, strengthening human relations and implementing comprehensive training programs, ensuring the safety of processes and the quality of finished products.
Organized by Alliance France Cuir under the patronage of the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, the SLF (Sustainable Leather Forum) is sponsored by the Sic Group (Société Internationale du Cuir) and APLF, the organizer of trade fairs dedicated to the leather industry. Luxus + is a press partner of the event.
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Featured Photo: © Sustainable Leather Forum
