LWG Environmental Stewardship Auditing of Leather Manufacturers

With the rising profile and value of world brands there is an increasing need for environmental due diligence in the supply chain.

The auditing of a tannery for environmental impact is a specialist task due to the complex chemistries and the potential risks involved. For example the volume of solid and liquid waste generated by a tannery producing leather from raw hide can be significant. Approximately 80% by volume of the raw material is disposed of as waste and this, combined with effluent treatment sludge, means that up to 50 tonnes of solid waste can be generated each day by large tanners. Coupled with high water usage, this means that tanners can potentially be heavy polluters if their processes are not properly controlled.

BLC, in conjunction with the Leather Working Group, has developed a standardised environmental auditing process to cover all the essential elements of environmental best practice management in a tannery. The environmental protocol includes an auditing checklist, plus scoring and reporting mechanisms and agreed structures for audit visits. The auditing protocol and reporting mechanism has been developed in conjunction with major brands and tanners giving a unified approach to tannery environmental audits.

BLC leather experts offer audits against the Leather Working Group environmental stewardship program. Click here for further details of the Leather Working Group.

For further details of our environmental auditing services please contact info@blcleathertech.com or +44 (0) 1604 679999.

Environmental Auditing

LWG Environmental Stewardship Auditing of Leather Manufacturers