7 EU NGOs Call on the EU Commission to include leather as a key forest-risk commodity in new deforestation law

Seven NGOs have called on the EU Commission to include leather as a key forest-risk commodity in new deforestation laws, arguing that cattle ranching is the primary driver of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon and that the EU is a major market for this high-risk leather. The statement highlights that leather is a multibillion-dollar industry, with the Brazilian sector valued at over US$50 billion, and that non-meat products can account for up to 26% of large meatpackers' incomes. The NGOs point to the Italian tanning industry's heavy reliance on Brazilian leather and the exposure of major European car manufacturers to deforestation through suppliers like JBS Couros. They argue that including leather in the legislation would reduce the EU's role in driving deforestation and encourage the industry to adopt zero-deforestation sourcing and traceability.

• Cattle ranching is identified as the primary cause of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, with nearly 80% of the resulting leather being exported, primarily to the EU.
• Leather is a significant economic driver for meatpackers, with non-meat products potentially comprising 26% of income for large meatpackers, and the Brazilian leather industry alone valued at over US$50 billion.
• The Italian tanning industry is heavily dependent on Brazilian leather; in 2021, Italy became the largest export market for Brazilian leather, and 36% of wet-blue hides imported to Italy originated from Brazil.
• Major European car manufacturers—including Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, Daimler, PSA Groupe, and Groupe Renault—source leather from Brazilian companies linked to large-scale deforestation, with exposure to at least 1.1 million hectares of recent deforestation between 2019 and 2020 via JBS Couros.
• The EU imports forest-risk leather both directly and indirectly; while direct imports from Brazil and Paraguay are valued at US$158 million, an estimated $279 million of leather goods entering the EU from China in 2019 also originated from these forest-risk countries.

APA

Jones, S., & Ranum, N. H. (2021). 7 EU NGOs Call on the EU Commission to include leather as a key forest-risk commodity in new deforestation law. Mighty Earth. https://mightyearth.org/article/7-eu-ngos-call-on-the-eu-commission-to-include-leather-as-a-key-forest-risk-commodity-in-new-deforestation-law/

Chicago

Jones, Sydney, and Nils Hermann Ranum. 7 EU NGOs Call on the EU Commission to include leather as a key forest-risk commodity in new deforestation law. Mighty Earth, 2021. https://mightyearth.org/article/7-eu-ngos-call-on-the-eu-commission-to-include-leather-as-a-key-forest-risk-commodity-in-new-deforestation-law/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Jones |first1=Sydney |last2=Ranum |first2=Nils Hermann |title=7 EU NGOs Call on the EU Commission to include leather as a key forest-risk commodity in new deforestation law |publisher=Mighty Earth |date=15 July 2021 |url=https://mightyearth.org/article/7-eu-ngos-call-on-the-eu-commission-to-include-leather-as-a-key-forest-risk-commodity-in-new-deforestation-law/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{jones2021ngos, author = {Jones, Sydney and Ranum, Nils Hermann}, title = {{7 EU NGOs Call on the EU Commission to include leather as a key forest-risk commodity in new deforestation law}}, publisher = {Mighty Earth}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://mightyearth.org/article/7-eu-ngos-call-on-the-eu-commission-to-include-leather-as-a-key-forest-risk-commodity-in-new-deforestation-law/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }