Leather is a renewable natural resource which, if not produced, would have to be replaced by synthetic materials derived from non-renewable resources. The leather industry utilizes hides and skins which would, if the industry did not exist to process them, create an enormous waste disposal problem and accompanying health hazards.
Leather is produced from the hides and skins from animals that have been accepted as fit for processing for human consumption, at approved slaughterhouses, where the handling and treatment of cattle fully meets animal welfare and hygiene requirements. Tanneries recognize that the quality of the hides and skins they receive generally reflects the health, welfare and husbandry conditions, which have applied during the life of the animal. A tannery’s efficiency and profitability depends, in large part, on the quality of the raw materials it sources.
For centuries leather has contributed to the quality of our everyday lives and today is used in everything from children’s shoes to aircraft shoes. Today, approximately 50% of all leather produced is used in the manufacturing of shoes, 30% in the clothing industry, and just 15% for upholstery demands.