As sector body, Leather Naturally is a key source for the information regarding the role of a natural by- product in a more sustainable society
The values and characteristics of the tanning industry, one of the oldest human activities, must be communicated effectively to contrast the instrumental denigration that its products and processing methods have to face. This intent, born with Leather Naturally, informs and sensitizes consumers, stylists and producers of finished items on the use, beauty, versatility and sustainability of leather. Debbie Burton, marketing director of the English tannery Pittards and member of the board of directors of Leather Naturally, explains the mission of this non-profit association.
Debbie Burton, communication manager Leather Naturally
You are Marketing manager of the famous British tannery Pittards and you are member of the Board of LN. What does it mean for a company – leader in this industry – to belong to a non profit association such as LN?
All the members of Leather Naturally recognise the strength of uniting as a global industry body that seeks to inspire the use of leather. That the members of the Management Board give their extra time voluntarily emphasises the importance we place on Leather Naturally as a body.
How has the covid crisis conditioned and/or modified your strategies of communiocation and your plans to participate in international trade fairs, congresses, meetings?
Trade fairs have always been great opportunities to catch up with our members and update the industry on Leather Naturally and its initiatives. 2020 has been challenging in that respect, but Leather Naturally has participated in virtual trade shows, webinars and remote presentations connecting with brands and designers. This new way of working has proved to have its own advantages – such as world-wide reach and conversations and Leather Naturally has attracted new members and support as a result.
One of the most important challenges for LN is to become the most reliable, authoritative and updated source on leather. Is LN available to have a dialogue and confrontation with the animal rights activists associations whose mantra is that there is no leather – particularly exotic and luxury leather – that can be defined as sustainable?
Leather Naturally does not seek to be confrontational, it is not an activist organisation, it works to educate and inspire through the provision of factually correct information about leather.
Your online magazine Metcha “The oracle of leather design culture”, is heralding a global digital multichannel campaign visualized by millions among the young generations, particularly Millennials and generation Z. According to you, what are the important values that the leather and leather products industries must transfer to the public in order to dismantle the appeal on young consumers of materials alternative to leather, often and falsely labelled as “eco-friendly”?
There are two strands here – inspiration and education. The online platform Metcha is truly inspirational- bringing to people’s attention the versatility of leather through its representation of stunning design, its features on anything from vintage leather stores to repurposed shoe makers and interviews with unique designers. The second strand, education is what the Leather Naturally website focuses on – there are some confusing messages out there and we provide clear information on what to look for in order to determine what products are actually made from in order that consumers can make informed choices.
The “Decree on Leather” has been approved on 28th May 2020 by the Italian Government and has come into effect on last 24th October (this interview will be published in November/December). COTANCE has welcomed this important legal result as one of the top priorities of the leather industry in Europe. As a matter of fact,in Europe it is calculated that every year about 20% of the market of the leather products industry is lost because of the misleading usage of the word “leather” for synthetic materials. According to you, why the EU does not give leather the same status in all members states (as it is done for other products such as textile and dairy products) and what about the UK?
For consumers, the ‘decree on leather’ is beneficial protecting them for misleading messaging. Leather Naturally would value the fact that consumers in all EU countries will have the same protection, but it is up to the national leather organisations to lead these discussions in individual countries.
Leather Naturally has developed a website for the benefit of the entire leather industry. Can you explain the assets of this platform in a global economy that must be more and more sustainable and environemental friendly?
The Leather Naturally website can easily be accessed from anywhere in the world. It contains a broad mix of content in order to meet the needs of its visitors, from for example, from a detailed White Paper on sustainability to shorter, easy to understand Fact Sheets that can be downloaded for anyone to use. There are links to informational videos and interviews with independent makers as well as a portal to the online publication, Metcha. Leather Naturally is adding its Fact Sheets in multiple languages as well as working continuously to make sure its content is easy to find by those that need it.
www.leathernaturally.org
www.metcha.com