Over the past four decades, beef production has been the main driver of deforestation and conversion of habitat in South America. Leather is a byproduct of beef production, but it can play an oversized role in eliminating deforestation and conversion of the continent’s ecosystems.
Although not the primary output of beef production, hides provide more income for beef producers while reducing waste from an animal that is already going to be slaughtered. In addition, a greater percentage of the leather produced is exported than is the meat. This dynamic puts leather producers and leather-purchasing companies in a position to have significant influence on the creation of responsible beef supply chains.
We have a vision of the future in which leather-sector companies, from brands and retailers to tanneries and slaughterhouses, engage in building more resilient and transparent supply chains. They can do so by covering external costs and investments needed for this transition and supporting the development of deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) production practices throughout supply chains.
Traceability and transparency are core to this vision. Credible traceability of cattle back to the farm of origin ensures that companies know where the animal has come from and how it was produced, including with practices that are more responsible and do not contribute to deforestation, conversion, or illegality.
In the last decade, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has supported WWF-US and others to engage in several initiatives in South America to map the landscape of the beef and leather sector, understand the challenges and solutions available, engage stakeholders, and develop innovative approaches with downstream companies to make beef and leather supply chains more sustainable and resilient.
One initiative that has grown out of this is WWF’s partnership with the Tapestry Foundation, which in 2022 began supporting the development of DCF leather supply chains in Brazil. As part of this partnership, WWF is examining how companies can develop and implement credible DCF commitments and adopt systems and processes that will help measure, report, and verify performance against those commitments. The Tapestry Foundation is the philanthropic organization of Tapestry, Inc., the parent company of the Coach, kate spade, and Stuart Weitzman brands, which has committed to achieving 95 percent traceability and mapping of raw materials by 2025, to ensure a transparent and responsible supply chain.
Those initiatives are exploring different areas of focus, including the strengthening of traceability and monitoring systems, collaborative approaches that will connect downstream buyers to producers, the creation of incentives for the adoption of DCF approaches, and better cattle production practices and systems at the farm level.
Results from these pilot programs are still in their early stages, and challenges persist: a single cow can pass through multiple owners from its birth until it is ready for slaughter. But several tanneries are starting pilot projects that are intended to identify and address the challenges of tracing the origins of all hides.
WWF is also currently engaged, along with other key stakeholders in the supply chain, including slaughterhouses, tanneries, service providers, and industry organizations, in a pilot to connect traceability and monitoring tools using a leather supply-chain system run on blockchain technology.
This system will connect different tiers of the supply chain with verification tools that credibly document DCF status. It also will evaluate how technology can support the payment of incentives directly to farmers, supporting their journey towards compliance, legality, and a DCF future.
This approach is a crucial step in creating more transparent and responsible supply chains while helping farmers to manage the transition.
The leather produced from cowhides goes to a variety of uses, from automobile interiors to furniture to clothing, shoes, and handbags. The leather industry needs to take a similarly broad view of its ability to influence responsible methods of obtaining its raw materials, thereby contributing to a more sustainable future for us all.
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Photo Courtesy of Gryffyn M, Unsplash
