On 23rd to 25th March 2026, SLF conducted a full Environmental, Social and Governance 3-pillar audit at Rolfes Leather in Boksburg, South Africa.
The Sustainable Leather Foundation’s (SLF’s) mission has always been to drive transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement across the leather value chain. While much of the industry’s historic focus has been on tanneries and manufacturers, true transformation requires engagement at every stage, and that includes the chemical inputs that underpin leather production.
The Foundation is therefore proud to mark a significant milestone in the development of its Standards with the successful delivery of the first ESG audit for a leather chemical company.
Expanding the Scope of ESG in Leather
Leather chemicals play a critical role in determining the environmental and social impact of leather processing. From tanning agents to finishing products, these inputs influence water consumption and effluent treatment, emissions, worker safety, and downstream compliance for product safety and end of use.
Recognising this, the Sustainable Leather Foundation has been actively evolving its ESG audit framework to extend beyond traditional manufacturing sites and into the upstream supply chain. Delivering this first audit represents a pivotal step in broadening the scope and relevance of our standards.
Building a Fit-for-Purpose Framework
Adapting the ESG audit methodology for chemical companies required careful development that began in January 2022. Working with chemical company stakeholders including Rolfes Leather, Silvateam, Leder Chimica and Royal Smit & Zoon, the existing ESG Standards were evaluated for efficacy in chemical companies, and the Standards were refined to reflect the operations within chemical production.
This process took 18 months, and pilot Dashboards were created for each of the companies working as part of the development team. The outcome of this work suggested that the SLF ESG Standards could be applied for chemical companies successfully and this milestone audit at Rolfes Leather proves the concept.
A Collaborative and Insightful Process
The audit itself was conducted in close collaboration with Rolfes Leather, reflecting SLF’s philosophy of partnership rather than simple assessment. Through detailed data collection, site evaluation, and stakeholder engagement, the process provided both verification and valuable insight. Importantly, it also tested the adaptability and clarity of SLF’s evolving framework, offering real-world validation of the connected value chain approach.
A Step Toward Whole-Value-Chain Transparency
This milestone reinforces the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s commitment to driving transparency across the entire leather value chain. By extending ESG assessment to chemical suppliers, we are enabling brands, manufacturers, and stakeholders to gain a more complete understanding of sustainability performance.
Ultimately, this supports more informed decision-making and encourages continuous improvement at every level of the industry.
The successful delivery of this audit is not an endpoint but rather it lays the cornerstone for additional development. Building on this experience, SLF will continue to:
- Expand the ESG Standards to additional chemical companies
- Further refine and standardise assessment criteria within the SLF certification scheme
- Develop targeted guidance and tools for upstream suppliers
- Foster collaboration across the industry to accelerate sustainable practices
Deborah Taylor, Founder and Managing Director of SLF, commented: “Delivering our first ESG audit for a leather chemical company represents a meaningful step forward in the evolution of SLF standards. It demonstrates our commitment to addressing sustainability holistically, recognising that real progress depends on engaging and connecting good practice at every part of the value chain. As the Foundation continues to develop, it remains dedicated to supporting the leather industry in building a more transparent, responsible, and sustainable future.
Working with Rolfes Leather has proved that connecting sustainability good practice and building solid relationships provides the pathway for the future. Rolfes Leather performed exceptionally well for their first audit, and we are looking forward to continuing to support them, and our other chemical company partners, with their sustainability journeys.”
Quintin Marais, Managing Director of Rolfes Leather stated “We at Rolfes Leather are committed to be part of a sustainable future. We have been working hard the past 4 years to achieve this milestone, and I am extremely proud of the team for being the first chemical company to achieve this goal. I also want to thank our IMS manager for all his commitment in getting the system and procedures in line with the requirements. We are extremely thankful for Deborah and the SLF team for walking this journey with us, and we want to grow from strength to strength moving forward and setting benchmarks for the future “
To find out how SLF can support your company to achieving more sustainable outcomes, please get in touch.