This publication is designed to equip various stakeholders in the sector with vital knowledge on executing, comprehending, and collaborating on LCAs studies.
LCAs serve as tools to evaluate the ecological footprint of a product throughout its entire lifespan, encompassing extraction, refinement, consumption, and eventual disposal.
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Within the realm of leather production, an LCA would examine elements such as livestock rearing, hide processing, goods creation, usage patterns, and end-of-life product management.
The aim is to offer a comprehensive perspective and actionable guidance to foster a unified methodology for gauging the environmental consequences associated with producing leather goods.
Key highlights from Leather Naturally’s guide include:
– The significance of LCAs in guiding material selection, process implementation, technological adoption, and supplier choices for businesses.
– An exploration of the varying boundaries, scopes, and methodologies that can be applied in LCAs and their respective advantages.
– Guidance on data acquisition for conducting an LCA, ranging from primary data collection to leveraging secondary data repositories.
– An overview of what outputs can be expected from LCA studies and how these findings can be strategically used.
– A discussion on the limitations and challenges companies may face when undertaking their own LCAs.
– Insights derived from Leather Naturally’s aggregated LCA study and its collective data contribution to the Higg Index with the Leather Working Group in 2024.
To ascertain the general environmental impacts of cow leather production, Leather Naturally conducted an LCA that integrates 56 distinct studies from six prominent tanning corporations operating in 11 countries.
The Average Industry LCA by Leather Naturally encompasses findings from various stages of leather processing—including Beamhouse, Tanning, Post-Tanning, and Finishing—spanning across the UK, Uruguay, the USA, Vietnam, Thailand, Sweden, Italy, China, Brazil, Australia and Argentina.
This study quantifies environmental impacts from the initial extraction of raw materials to the production of finished leather goods across eight impact categories: global warming potential, eutrophication potential, abiotic resource depletion (fossil fuels), water use impact, human toxicity potential (cancer-related), human toxicity potential (non-cancer related), freshwater ecotoxicity potential and water consumption.
In parallel, the Leather Working Group (LWG) has performed a similar aggregated LCA based on its member data to characterise their certified tanneries. This report was exclusively released to LWG stakeholders in December 2024. Both assessments provide a thorough examination of the environmental footprint associated with leather manufacturing for a range of products.
In a collaborative effort to enhance industry-wide sustainability metrics, both organisations have agreed to combine their LCA findings for submission to the Higg Index—a decision that has been successfully executed and received approval.
