COTANCE hails EU move to scrap leather from deforestation rules

The European Commission has proposed the exclusion of hides, skins, and leather from the scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a move welcomed by industry bodies as a correction of a fundamental regulatory flaw. The proposal, issued on May 4 via a Draft Delegated Act to amend Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, allows the Commission to adjust product categories without reopening the primary legislative text. The amendment is expected to enter into force by summer following a four-week public consultation period.

For COTANCE (Confederation of National Associations of Tanners and Dressers of the European Community), the representative body for the European leather industry, the move vindicates a long-held position that leather is a secondary by-product of the meat and dairy sectors rather than a driver of cattle farming or land clearance. Industry advocates argued that the original inclusion of leather lacked a dedicated impact assessment, a requirement stipulated under Article 34 of the EUDR.

To bridge the evidentiary gap, COTANCE and the Italian tanning association UNIC commissioned an independent study from the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies at the University of Pisa. Analyzing over 94 million data records and hundreds of thousands of academic sources, the research concluded there is no scientific link between leather production and deforestation. The findings were further supported by Montana State University research, which indicated that demand for leather has no measurable influence on cattle hide supply.

Industry leaders warned that maintaining leather within the EUDR scope would have resulted in significant supply chain disruptions and increased compliance costs without achieving environmental gains. Critics of the original scope noted that such regulations risked shifting production to regions with laxer environmental oversight.

The decision follows a concerted global lobby. Trade bodies from the United States, Australia, Africa, and New Zealand, operating under the International Council of Tanners and supported by the International Meat Secretariat, recently issued a joint appeal to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Manuel Rios, President of COTANCE, stated that the decision secures approximately 30,000 jobs across European tanneries, signaling that the sector is viewed as a "solution to be invested in" rather than a problem to be regulated. Edoardo De Paola, the organization’s Secretary General, described the shift as a "historic moment" that aligns regulatory policy with the economic reality of livestock by-products.

Despite the exclusion, COTANCE maintained that the industry remains committed to supply chain transparency. The body confirmed it will continue seeking official CEN recognition for the EN 18199 leather traceability standard and cited ongoing investments in infrastructure, such as the Hide Eco Track system, as evidence of its commitment to responsible sourcing.