Major International Leather Goods Brands Suspend Purchases of Brazilian Leather

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – More than eighteen international brands, including Timberland, Vans, and Kipling, have halted purchases of Brazilian leather due to news related to the burning in the Amazon region affecting agribusiness in this country, according to information from the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB) sent to the Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, on Tuesday, August 27th.

“Recently, we received with concern the announcement of the suspension of purchases of leather from Brazil from some of the major importers in the world. This measure was taken based on how news related to the burning in the Amazon region is affecting agribusiness”, said José Fernando Bello, the president of CICB, in the document.

These are the brands that have already requested the suspension: Timberland, Dickies, Kipling, Vans, Kodiak, Earth, Walls, Workrite, Eagle Creek, Eastpack, JanSport, The North Face, Napapijri, Bulwark, Altra, Icebreaker, Smartwool, and Horace Small.

“We understand this situation very clearly. It involves a sort of misinterpretation about what really happens in Brazil and the work of the government and the private sector with the best practices in management and sustainability”, said Bello.

In the document, Bello also asks the ministry to pay special attention to the situation that the sector is facing, holding as “undeniable the demand to reduce damages to the country’s image in the foreign market when it comes to issues concerning the Amazon.”

To Folha de S.Paulo, Bello toned down his statements, saying that the brands did not request any suspension but sent a document to the tanneries, requesting a guarantee of traceability. He confirmed, however, that new orders may not take place before further clarification.

“Of course, as long as this is not clear, they will not place new orders,” he said. According to Bello, this question is rather common. He also said that Brazilian tanneries have national and international certifications that control such demands. In his assessment, this is just a measure to control a topic that is broadly discussed.

“It is nothing more than their concern because this topic is really hot in the market right now. So they wish for clarification to keep the orders going,” he said.

The president of the organization also said that the idea of the letter was to show the ministry that some sectors are being requested, in an international spectrum, to answer questions about issues involving the Amazon.

“To make them aware that there is a whole chain involved in this biome. It’s an organized chain, not a clandestine one. It is all documented. We [CICB] export eighty percent of Brazilian leather production.”

The Ministry of the Environment was contacted to find out if any action was or should be taken to reverse the suspensions, but so far there is no answer.

(Source: Folha de S.Paulo)