{"id":58778,"date":"2025-12-06T18:46:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T17:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/2025\/12\/06\/cotance-november-2025-newsletter\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T18:46:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T17:46:36","slug":"cotance-november-2025-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/en\/2025\/12\/06\/cotance-november-2025-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"COTANCE November 2025 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leather: The Hidden Engine of Europe’s Bioeconomy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Leather may be one of the oldest materials known to humanity \u2013 yet it remains one of the most innovative and underutilized resources in today’s green transition. Far beyond its price per square meter, leather embodies the very essence of the EU’s bioeconomy: circularity, sustainability, and longevity. <\/p>\n

Since leather is fundamentally biobased, circular, and biodegradable, it deserves a central place in Europe’s bioeconomy strategy, expected by the end of 2025, and in the upcoming EU regulation on circular economy, anticipated in early 2026, as well as in all future EU initiatives.<\/p>\n

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Why Leather Belongs in Europe’s Bioeconomy<\/h3>\n

Leather stands out among materials for its unique ability to:<\/p>\n

\u267b\ufe0f Turn waste into value<\/strong> \u2013 The tanning process upgrades by-products from the food industry that would otherwise become waste, transforming them into long-lasting products used in the fashion and lifestyle sectors.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf3f Store carbon naturally<\/strong> \u2013 by sequestering CO\u2082 in sustainable leather products throughout their lifespan, which often spans several decades.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\uddf5 Be repaired and renewed<\/strong> \u2013 Unlike fast fashion materials, which quickly lose their value and are rarely repaired, leather has well-established cobblers and repair workshops for leather goods, allowing consumer products to remain useful for decades.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf0d Offer a natural end of life<\/strong> \u2013 Leather is biodegradable under suitable conditions, unlike many synthetic alternatives that persist in the environment.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udde0 Combine tradition and innovation<\/strong> \u2013 The sector unites centuries of European expertise with advanced technology to enhance sustainability, traceability, and process efficiency \u2013 literally creating beauty from waste.<\/p>\n

Leather is Europe’s original circular material \u2013 renewable, sustainable, and fully aligned with the EU’s vision of a climate-neutral and resource-efficient economy.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/h3>\n

A Call to Action for a Truly Circular Future<\/h3>\n

\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa We urge the EU to:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • \n

    Recognize and promote the use of animal by-products in the EU’s bioeconomy and circular economy policies.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Ensure fair and transparent labeling to protect consumers from misleading claims like \u201cvegan leather.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Include leather in sustainable public procurement frameworks to promote sustainable and renewable materials.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Support research and development, innovation, and skills to accelerate the green and digital transition of Europe’s SMEs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \ud83c\udfed We urge Europe’s leather value chain and its partners to:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • \n

      Continue to set examples. Keep improving tanning processes, finishing methods, and material traceability. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Your innovation \u2013 from water reuse to biobased chemicals and low-impact techniques \u2013 is what makes European leather the gold standard for sustainability and craftsmanship.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Be proud, continue to innovate, and show that tradition and technology can go hand in hand in the green transition.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83c\udfa8 We urge citizens and consumers to:<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      • \n

        Choose leather \u2013 not just because it’s stylish, but because it’s smart, sustainable, and built to last.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      • \n

        Leather is a material that ages beautifully, is easily repaired, and safely returns to nature.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      • \n

        By using leather in everyday life \u2013 from shoes to furniture \u2013 you support European craftsmanship, the circular economy, and a more responsible way of living.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \n

        \ud83d\udcac For leather is not a material of the past \u2013 it is a material for Europe’s future.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Leather: The Hidden Engine of Europe’s Bioeconomy Leather may be one of the oldest materials known to humanity \u2013 yet it remains one of the most innovative and underutilized resources in today’s green transition. Far beyond its price per square meter, leather embodies the very essence of the EU’s bioeconomy: circularity, sustainability, and longevity. Since […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58778\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swedishtanners.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}