The British NGOSA revealed on Tuesday that a number of famous international fashion houses, such as “Coach”, “Chanel” and “Louis Vuitton”, are associated with chains of supplying leather suspected of its contribution to illegally removing forests in the Brazilian Amazon.
According to a report by the organization, the leather used in the manufacture of products of some luxury brands comes from companies related to cattle farms located near Belem in Para, where negotiations of the 30th Climate Change Conference (COP30) will be held next November.
Horching supply chains
“Earth Sate” indicated that it had been able to penetrate the chains of the supply of leather to the American company “Koch”, and investigations showed that the company is linked to a large Brazilian slaughterhouse that obtained thousands of livestock raised in lands whose forests were illegally removed.
The organization stated that most of the leather exported from the state of Para to Europe is directed to Italy, where it is treated in famous tanneries in the Veneto region, including Madbada Contestria Christina and Vaida, before these leather is redepched as “Italian leather” to be used later in the manufacture of luxury products.
Trademarks deny
Although the major brands were denied their use of Brazilian leather, “Earth Site” indicates that a number of them appeared in the suspected supply chains, such as: Koch, Channel, Clawy, Hugo Boss, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Pensiaga, Gucci and San Laurent.
The organization explained that Chloe was the only sign that provided the organization with a transparent methodology to track the sources of the leather it used.
As for Chanel, she recently ended her relationship with Madida’s tanner because of the loss of confidence in her tracking system. On the other hand, the Contecger -Cristina’s Madbigue did not respond to the requests for comment, while Vaida confirmed that it does not supply the Brazilian leather to this role.
Gaps in “Sustainability Certificates”
The report indicated that many companies depend on the “Leather Working Group” system, a body that gives “sustainability” certificates to leather taboos.
However, “Earth Site” criticized this system, considering that it does not obligate the tanneries to track the source of livestock to the original farms, which opens the way for hidden environmental violations.
The organization said, “This system turns a blind eye to violations in the beginning of the supply chain, and allows leather coming from lands whose forests are removed to enter European markets under the cover of alleged sustainability.”
Current investigations
In the aftermath of the report, some companies announced the opening of internal investigations, including Hugo Boss and Fendi, to consider the information received, while other brands have not shown any reactions.
This disclosure comes at a time when the pressure on the luxury fashion industry is increasing to adopt more transparent and sustainable practices, especially since this industry is among the sectors with a high environmental footprint globally, in terms of water consumption, the use of chemicals, and the contribution to the removal of forests.
Earth Site urged European governments and regulatory institutions to open investigations into leather imports from Brazil, and a review of the current environmental certificates systems in force, calling for the application of strict laws to companies whose materials are used from areas exposed to environmental destruction.