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The event has become a must<\/strong><\/b> for the leather, fashion and design industry…<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n On Monday September 9, the sixth edition of the Sustainable Leather Forum (SLF)<\/strong><\/b> 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<\/strong><\/b> to discuss the main CSR challenges facing the leather industry.<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/strong><\/b> 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<\/strong><\/b> and, finally, the use of plastics in fashion and sport.<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The day also enabled participants to discover 25 exhibiting companies ( l’Atelier des Mati\u00e8res, ICEC, Corium, Hidexe, Recycuir, Retraced, GSC Group, Footbridge, ICEC, Authentic Material, LWG, Les Compagnons du Devoir, ICFA, Trustrace, ID Factory,…),<\/strong><\/b> likely to support or reinforce their CSR approach, whether in terms of material traceability, responsible sourcing, certification or reuse…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Forum participants were welcomed by Christophe Dehard, recently elected President of Alliance France Cuir<\/strong><\/b> (formerly Conseil national du cuir). Accompanied by General Manager Marc Brunel,<\/strong><\/b> he emphasized \u201cthe growing importance of the SLF in strengthening links between the various players in the leather industry.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Christophe Dehard, who is also President of the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Fran\u00e7aise des Cuirs et Peaux,<\/strong><\/b> welcomed the \u201cincreased recognition of the upstream part of the industry<\/strong><\/b>\u201d and stressed the need to \u201ctake up the crucial challenges linked to livestock issues, on which leather production depends\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A gala dinner<\/strong><\/b>, attended by the philosopher Rapha\u00ebl Enthoven, gave the \u201chappy few\u201d the opportunity to exchange views on \u201ctheir vision of the future of leather, and to outline together the main lines of the 2025 edition of the Sustainable Leather Forum\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Delphine Neumeister, deputy head of Social Approaches and Labor Services in Livestock Production at IDELE (Institut de l’\u00c9levage)<\/strong><\/b>, reminded participants of the \u201ccomplex issues involved in livestock production<\/strong><\/b>\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The mission of IDELE,<\/strong><\/b> a \u201crenowned technical institute supported by the French government, dedicated to managing the multifaceted challenges of extensive livestock farming\u201d, is indeed \u201cto improve practices<\/strong><\/b> \u201d. And in the current context of animal welfare controversies, Delphine Neumeister provided a useful and comprehensive insight into \u201ccurrent debates and collective mobilizations in the sector\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first round table of the day also saw international experts recall \u201cthe strategic but often overlooked role of the raw hides and skins trade<\/strong><\/b>\u201d, situated \u201cat the intersection of the livestock and tanning industries\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nick Winters, Vice President of International Relations at the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Fran\u00e7aise 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<\/strong><\/b>) shared their expertise on \u201cthe key challenges and opportunities facing this sector\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These included \u201ctheorganization of international trade and the regulation of hides to optimize their recycling into finished hides<\/strong><\/b> in tanneries, the impact of breeding practices on the quantity and quality of available hides,<\/strong><\/b> with particular emphasis on traceability<\/strong><\/b> and measures to combat deforestation<\/strong><\/b>\u201d, and finally, more generally, \u201cthe benefits and challenges of achieving sustainable development objectives<\/strong><\/b> in this industry\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n For her part, Rachel Kolbe Semhoun, Director of Sustainable Sourcing and Nature Initiatives at Kering<\/strong><\/b>, highlighted the luxury group’s various initiatives in favor of the agricultural world, and more broadly vis-\u00e0-vis regenerative agriculture and nature.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lastly, the \u201cFrench Tanneries and Leather Goods Looking to the Future<\/strong><\/b> \u2018 round table<\/strong><\/b> highlighted companies that stand out for their \u2019strong commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)\u201d, with \u201c sustainable and ethical practices\u201d that go \u201cbeyond regulatory obligations<\/strong><\/b>\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Olivier Marsal, Director of Industrial Operations at HCP (Herm\u00e8s Cuirs Pr\u00e9cieux), Sylvain Bussi\u00e8re, Managing Director of Tanneries Roux (LVMH M\u00e9tiers d’Art) and Fran\u00e7ois Roques, Director of M\u00e9gisserie de La Moli\u00e8re<\/strong><\/b>, 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Organized by Alliance France Cuir under the patronage of the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty<\/strong><\/b>, the SLF<\/strong><\/b> (Sustainable Leather Forum) is sponsored by the Sic Group<\/strong><\/b> (Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Internationale du Cuir) and APLF, the organizer of trade fairs dedicated to the leather industry.<\/strong><\/b> Luxus + is a press partner of<\/strong><\/b> the event.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nRound tables, keynotes and pitches<\/h2>\n
Strengthening links<\/h2>\n\n
The complex challenges of livestock farming<\/h2>\n
Beyond regulatory obligations<\/h2>\n
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