Why do we need a Leather Fund?

The Deforestation-Free Leather Fund, managed by WWF, aims to raise $10 million over three years to address the environmental impacts of cattle production. The fund targets high-risk geographies to improve traceability, support farm-level investments, and assist in farm regularization to ensure leather is sourced without deforestation or habitat conversion.

• Cattle production is a major driver of deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions due to the expansion of pastureland, illegal deforestation, and the conversion of natural habitats.
• The Deforestation-Free Leather Fund is designed to accelerate the adoption of sustainability practices and send market signals to producers that deforestation must be addressed, though it is not intended to solve all challenges of deforestation-and conversion-free (DCF) supply chains alone.
• WWF will manage the fund with a goal of collecting $10 million during its first three years. Contributions are tiered by annual revenue for brands and retailers (ranging from $50,000 to $250,000) and by the number of hides processed for leather processors (USD 0.01 for wet-blue tanneries and USD 0.03 for re-tanning and finishing tanneries).
• The fund will focus on three primary areas of support: scaling traceability systems to verify responsible sourcing, providing direct farm-level investments to increase the supply of DCF leather, and assisting farmers with farm regularization to improve market access and rehabilitate degraded land.

APA

WWF International (2025). Why do we need a Leather Fund? https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/515/1suy5fi9a7_Deforestation_Free_Leather_Fund_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Why do we need a Leather Fund? 2025. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/515/1suy5fi9a7_Deforestation_Free_Leather_Fund_Fact_Sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Why do we need a Leather Fund? |date=2025 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/515/1suy5fi9a7_Deforestation_Free_Leather_Fund_Fact_Sheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2025why, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Why do we need a Leather Fund?}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2025}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/515/1suy5fi9a7_Deforestation_Free_Leather_Fund_Fact_Sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }