Sustainable Leather Foundation Holds Successful Strategy Meeting and Welcomes New Advisory Board Chair
The Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) held its end-of-year Strategy Meeting on Wednesday, 3rd December 2025, bringing together Advisory Board Members and the SLF Management Team to review progress and align on strategic priorities for the year ahead. The session reflected on the Foundation’s continued expansion, deepening global impact and strengthened leadership, concluding with a renewed sense of momentum for 2026.
A significant focal point of the meeting was the formal transition of the Advisory Board Chair’s position from Hans van Haarst to Reg Hankey, marking an important milestone in the Foundation’s evolution.
Celebrating Leadership and Contribution
Hans van Haarst, who has served as Chair since 2021 and supported SLF since its inception in 2020, was sincerely thanked for his exceptional stewardship, internal and external industry insight, and unwavering commitment to SLF’s mission of promoting transparency and responsible practices throughout the global leather value chain. His leadership has helped establish SLF as a trusted provider of technical expertise, collaborative leadership, stakeholder support and sustainability innovation.
Reflecting on his retirement from the Advisory Board, Hans shared:
“It has been an incredible journey with a strong vision and purpose to pursue. I carry with me a lot of good memories from my time in SLF, and I will continue to follow their work from a distance.”
Incoming Chair Reg Hankey, a long-standing sustainability advocate with extensive sector experience, reaffirmed his commitment to build on this solid foundation and support SLF’s continued growth and influence.
A Year of Strong and Measurable Growth
The Strategy Meeting highlighted a number of significant achievements made throughout 2025, including:
Global reach expanded from 28 to 34 countries, demonstrating SLF’s increasing relevance and adoption across diverse regions and markets.
34% growth in partnership, as more organisations across the value chain join SLF’s mission to drive harmonised, practical sustainability solutions.
26% increase in the number of Transparency Dashboards™ published, reflecting growing industry engagement with SLF’s flagship due-diligence and monitoring tool.
Submission of SLF’s ESG Standards to UKAS for scheme approval, representing a major step toward achieving full accreditation under ISO 17065 Conformity Assessment—an important milestone in ensuring recognised, credible assurance systems for the industry.
These achievements demonstrate not only SLF’s expanding global footprint, but also the sector’s increasing commitment to responsible and measurable sustainability practices.
Looking Ahead: Strength, Strategy and Collaboration
With a clear roadmap now set for 2026, SLF will continue to focus on de-risking and empowering the leather value chain through practical tools, harmonised standards, and transparent, data-driven methodologies. Enhanced stakeholder engagement, new programme developments, and strengthened governance will further support the industry’s transition to a more sustainable and resilient future.
Under the guidance of newly appointed Advisory Board Chair Reg Hankey and the continued dedication of the entire Advisory Board and SLF’s global network, the Foundation enters the new year with purpose, confidence, and a commitment to accelerating positive change across the leather value chain.