Press Release 16th August 2021
Recognition of Sustainable Leather Foundation as an organisation that is committed to supporting the leather industry globally gains momentum this month as two tanneries from Zimbabwe become partners.
Deborah Taylor, Managing Director, commented “we are delighted to welcome both Global Tanners (Pvt) Ltd and Zambezi Tanners into partnership of the Foundation and are looking forward to working with them to identify their priorities for improvement based on their geographic and operational concerns.
For a long time there has been a disconnect between the leather manufacturing facilities working in the top 20% of the industry and the vast majority of large producing leather manufacturers that have not had access to the same level of support and opportunity. One of the Foundation’s key objectives is to find ways of connecting the two ends of the industry to raise standards, reducing negative impacts and increasing positive impacts in the most sustainable way possible.”
Clement Shoko of Global Tanners (Pvt) Ltd and Chair of the Zimbabwe Leather Development Council agrees “we are leading the way for Zimbabwe in understanding that by adopting the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s modular approach we can all benefit from a fully supportive mechanism. We look forward to working with SLF to develop workshops and training materials that are relevant for our region and that demonstrate our work globally”.
Arnold Britten from Zambezi Tanners added “we have for some time now understood the need to demonstrate our improvement measures and to create access to markets but until now we were not able to make use of the existing platforms. With SLF, our ability to now engage in a meaningful way is possible and we are looking forward to seeing how far we can develop with the support of the Foundation”.
SLF’s Transparency Dashboard™ and modular, inclusive approach alleviates duplication of effort, allowing companies to work at their own pace and encourages all tiers within the leather value chain to work together to create strong partnerships for the future.
With both Global Tanners and Zambezi Tanners joining the SLF, it is hoped that this is a first step and practical example for others in the region and beyond to follow.
