1. COTANCE signs UNEP's declaration on cleaner production
On 29 April 2002, in Prague, Mr Gonzalez-Quijano, Secretary General of COTANCE, signed the International Declaration on Cleaner Production on behalf of his association.
The International Declaration on Cleaner Production is a commitment to the goal of sustainable development by the bodies who are signatories to it. It was formulated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in order to eliminate pollution before it is created, rather than clean up the damage caused.
Following a Council decision taken in 2000, COTANCE had decided to become a signatory to the UNEP declaration. In signing up, the European Tanning Industry makes public its commitment to favour pollution prevention and cleaner production. Indeed this is already a reality in most of the European Tanneries and should therefore be communicated to the general public by all available means, first by signing the UNEP declaration and then, by further implementing and widely disseminating its principles.
2. COTANCE submits a report on sustainability to UNEP
The COTANCE report for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg) is an unprecedented achievement of the leather industry. Europe's tanners participate in the reporting exercise of UNEP with regard to the three pillars of sustainability. This is a contribution to the global leather industry because it sets a benchmark against which to measure achievements in terms of sustainability and a yardstick in the quest for sustainability of the tanning industry