Euroleather

After the first phase where the LTC expanded its membership to reach critical mass, members have been advancing by setting up Sub-Groups.

 

Currently, there are three active Sub-Groups: "Certification," "Standardisation," and "Deforestation".

Each of the Sub-Groups sets out its Terms of Reference and appoints a Chair who reports back to the Cluster under part 2 of the Agenda. Working Groups have no own identity. They depend on the Cluster which will take any final decision on matters submitted.

The "Certification" Sub-Group consists of certification and audit bodies active in the leather sector. Organisations, such as the Leather Working Group (LWG), the Quality Certification Institute for the Tanning Industry (ICEC), the Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) or OEKO-TEX, experts in the setting of technical requirements for tanneries cooperate in the development of traceability certification in the leather supply chain on which to build audit schemes which will be aligned and which can be mutually recognised.

The "Standardisation" Sub-Group, is composed of experts active in official standardisation processes, such as those of CEN TC 289 "Leather".  Headed by Prof. Dr Haiko Schulz, Managing Director at FILK in Freiberg, this Sub-Group brings together experts from Italy, Germany, the UK and Switzerland, and ensures the liaison of the LTC with Working Group 4 of CEN TC 289 where the traceability standard is being furthered. 

The "Deforestation" Sub-Group consists of experts in livestock-driven deforestation, working for reputed organisations concerned with nature conservation such as the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-US), or the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB). They are supported by other LTC members in the task of translating the EUDR Due Diligence requirements into practicable models in the livestock-leather value chain.