World Leather Day, celebrated on Saturday, April 26, 2025, aims to raise public awareness about the positive attributes of leather.
Launched for the first time in 2022, World Leather Day is a global movement, promoted by Leather Naturally and supported by leather industry associations and organizations around the world, dedicated to celebrating leather as a material and promoting a deeper understanding of the leather industry.
The international organization, Leather Naturally, acts as the global spokesperson for the leather industry to promote the use of certified and responsibly produced leather, providing reliable information and inspiration for consumers, designers, and brands.
This year’s theme, “Beyond the Surface,” aims to promote a deeper understanding of leather as a material and break down misconceptions about leather and its industry.
This year, Leather Naturally seeks to reflect on leather as a material and challenge superficial prejudices and judgments. The “Beyond The Surface” campaign focuses on three key pillars:
Transparency: Leather production is transparent and compliant with all regulations, as the leather processing plants are regularly audited and only use strictly regulated chemicals. The plants also meet rigorous hygiene and environmental standards. As a result, the final leather products meet the requirements of brands and NGOs in complying with Restricted Substances Lists (RSLs).
Sustainability: Modern leather production prioritizes sustainability, and many leather plants are certified by organizations such as the Leather Working Group, the Sustainable Leather Foundation, and Aqeic Leather Audit. These certifications ensure compliance with strict environmental standards, including responsible water and energy use, waste management, and chemical control. Additionally, many leather shops and organizations in the leather industry conduct Life Cycle Assessments to evaluate and reduce the environmental impact of leather from raw material to finished product.
Longevity: Leather has unique physical and chemical properties that make it a durable material. Leather’s exceptional durability allows for repair, reuse, and repurposing, making it a material with a long lifespan. Its unique combination of strength, breathability, and comfort distinguishes it from synthetic alternatives. These qualities make leather a natural, durable, and sustainable option, ideal for a circular society.
Leather is a byproduct of meat consumption, the primary source of protein for more than 90% of the world’s population. The leather industry recovers and recycles this byproduct to prevent it from becoming waste and repurposes it into elegant, noble, and socially useful products.
Leather Cluster Barcelona supports the initiative and joins the celebration of World Leather Day, promoting leather as a symbol of the circular economy and an example of sustainable fashion.
On this World Leather Day, Leather Cluster Barcelona reaffirms its commitment to the sustainable use of natural resources, minimal environmental impact in production, and the efficient management of waste and byproducts generated by the leather sector.
Leather Cluster Barcelona is a competitive cooperation environment for promoting strategic, cross-cutting and transformative projects with the aim of boosting the leather sector ecosystem within the framework of Shared Value policies. The cluster is an accredited entity within the Catalonia Clusters program and has the support of Acció.
