The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has launched a new fund to improve the sustainability of leather supply chains and protect tropical forests.
The Deforestation-Free Leather Fund will invest in projects to improve the traceability and resilience of leather supply chains.
It will also enable companies to deliver their deforestation-free commitments, send strong market signals to cattle ranchers, beef producers, and leather producers, and contribute to more sustainable leather production.
The projects will initially include operations in Brazil, with the possibility of expanding to other beef-producing countries in South America in the near future.
The fund will also support farm-level investments to promote the supply of deforestation-and conversion-free leather and assist farmers and ranchers to formalize operations, rehabilitate degraded farmland, and establish pathways for continuous improvement.
The WWF said the fund also aims to support the ear-tagging and individual traceability of 1 million head of cattle in the first three years of activity, promoting the recovery of 45,000 hectares (111,200 acres) of degraded land in the same period.
The WWF’s senior director for beef and leather supply chains, Fernando Bellese, said “deforestation is still out there” and still very relevant, during an online press conference.
Bellese said tropical forests are an important carbon sink and help fight climate change, but there are still high deforestation rates in some parts of the world, including South America.
He added cattle production is the top driver globally for deforestation and leather is a by-product of the beef and dairy industry.
“You cannot have leather without those sectors, and consumers are starting to ask companies to decouple their products from deforestation,” said Bellese.
“It’s about implementing monitoring systems that can help companies understand where their materials are coming from, and importantly that those materials are coming from farms who are working responsibly, and not connected to deforestation and conversion of ecosystems.”
Bellese said the WWF wants to invite businesses that are connected to leather to support the new fund and the move to more sustainable practices.
“We need to improve the practices that are being used by farmers,” he added. “We need to show that you can still be profitable while supporting more responsible, more sustainable practices and send a signal to upstream suppliers.”
“We believe that the fund will help to promote a new or improved approach that will allow cattle raising to co-exist with protection of critical ecosystems.”
One of the first brands to make a financial commitment to the Deforestation-Free Leather Fund is the New-York based Tapestry Inc, which is the parent company of several leading accessories and lifestyle brands.
The commitment is in addition to the Tapestry Foundation’s s $3 million philanthropic grant to WWF in 2022 to develop an innovative system to enhance traceability of the leather value chain in Brazil and convene the industry.
Tapestry’s vice president of ESG and sustainability, Logan Duran said it has been really focused on taking a long-term view on addressing the impacts of leather across the entirety of the value chain, during the online press conference.
Duran added the company is also really committed to traceability, with a goal to achieve 95% traceability and mapping of its raw materials by 2025.
“We’re really excited about the Deforestation Free leather Fund and the opportunity to bring in other partners to elevate and amplify the work WWF has been doing,” he added.
“It’s also an exciting opportunity for us to really amplify the commitment of the industry and scale the opportunities to drive change within this specific value chain.”
