During 2022, Leather Working Group remained the largest and most active organization within the leather industry dedicated to continually improving responsible leather standards through sustainability initiatives and certification. With nearly 1,600 certified sites and over 300 engaged stakeholders, Leather Working Group has worked hard to achieve significant milestones over the course of 2022 for the benefit of the leather value chain.

In 2022, Leather Working Group:

Carried out the world’s largest lifecycle assessment of leather, to investigate and understand the environmental impact of leather manufactured in facilities that are certified against the LWG Standard.

Strengthened collaborations with key partners including Textile Exchange, with whom we are jointly launching the Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather initiative, in March 2023.

Kick-started the LWG Chain of Custody project with the aim of supporting the creation of a fully transparent leather supply chain globally.

Held the first LWG Conference in Milan with attendees from over 30 countries, and we will be looking to hold our 2023 conference in Milan in conjunction with Lineapelle – further information to follow in due course.

Further solidified the role of our global organization as an industry leader for responsible leather production and sourcing, often speaking at key industry events and trade shows.

Continued to recognize improvements in the leather industry through the impact of LWG Standards.

Created 2 additional country profiles, taking the total up to 30, and developed the LWG Animal Welfare checklist, to provide stakeholders with a framework to be able to gather information of animal welfare practices upstream of the slaughterhouse. The Animal Welfare Group will be fully integrated into Leather Working Group from April 01, 2023.

Version 4.0 of the LWG Trader Audit Standard was released which included traders of raw material within the scope, further increasing the LWG coverage and transparency of the leather supply chain.

Collaborated with Leather Naturally to create World Leather Day, sharing this celebration of leather as a sustainable material. Leather Working Group will again be working with Leather Naturally on World Leather Day 2023 – further details to be announced soon.

Reinforced strategic partnerships with key industry organizations to support our work to build a sustainable future with responsible leather.

For 2023, Leather Working Group will continue to drive change across the leather industry for the responsible production and sourcing of leather. Together, with the support of LWG members, collaborators, and associated industries, we are confident we can deliver positive change that will benefit future generations.