COTANCE Euroleather

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COTANCE Euroleather

COTANCE is a non-profit organization established in order to represent and promote the interests of the European tanning industry at international level.

07/05/2026

On May 6-7, 2026 - SYMBIOS project partners gathered in Valencia, Spain, for a two-day working meeting to review the first phase of research into industrial symbiosis opportunities for the leather and agrifood industries.
In numbers: 2 pan-European Focus Groups with up to 20 top leather experts; 31 surveys and 9 in-depth interviews collected across the global leather industry — involving tanneries, scientific experts, and academics.
What did we learn?
The leather industry knows its waste streams well. Internal monitoring of waste flows is very high, which serves as a strong foundation to build on.

But barriers remain:

⚠️ Administrative burden — permits, authorisations, legal uncertainty ⚠️ Skills gaps — technical, regulatory, and compliance knowledge ⚠️ Low adoption of LCA (39%), EPD and environmental labelling (50%), and digital monitoring tools

The good news? Stakeholder engagement and collaboration scored high — driven in large part by the strength of Europe's leather clusters.
What comes next?

As of September 2026, the project will be working on a Model for Symbiotic Practice — combining best practices, identified gaps, and training needs — alongside a digital platform and a MOOC open to the wider industry.

This is precisely the kind of work the leather industry needs right now.
Leather as a food industry by-product should be placed at the forefront as a strategic circular economy opportunity and with the Symbios project we are building the evidence, the tools, and the skills to make that happen.

🔗 Learn more about the SYMBIOS project: https://symbios-project.eu/

29/04/2026

Today is – a moment to recognise leather as a material defined by longevity, versatility, and craftsmanship.

This year’s theme, Make It Leather, is a call to make intentional choices about the materials we use and value. Leather offers an alternative to disposable culture—it is designed to endure, be repairable over time, and is shaped by both heritage skills and ongoing innovation. Across fashion, interiors, travel, and more, leather demonstrates how one material can meet a wide range of needs while standing the test of time.

This World Leather Day, we celebrate the people, processes, and progress behind leather—and the role it can play in a more considered, long-lasting economy.

Find out more: https://www.leathernaturally.org/worldleatherday/

28/04/2026

PFAS is one of the most disruptive regulatory and value-chain challenges facing the TCLF ecosystem today — and the European leather industry is leading by example in addressing it.

At today's event "TCLF: Resilient Value Chains in Times of Crisis" (28 April 2026), bringing together representatives from the TCLF sectors alongside the European Commission, this was one of the key topics on the agenda.

Giacomo Zorzi, Head of the UNIC branch office in Veneto, shared how the Veneto leather cluster (Italy) is tackling the challenge head-on: technologies implemented at the tannery level break down perfluorinated molecules and facilitate purification processes — including the use of ozone — combined with strong downstream integration to ensure fully coordinated and continuous monitoring across the value chain.

The event clearly confirmed the European leather industry as a reliable and proactive partner in navigating the regulatory and value-chain disruptions facing the TCLF ecosystem.

Thank you to Giacomo Zorzi and UNIC - Concerie Italiane for representing the sector and sharing these insights with EU policy-makers and the members of the EU Textiles Ecosystem Platform

24/04/2026

The European Commission invites all ecosystem stakeholders to the upcoming webinar on TCLF: Resilient value chains in times of crises: https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/textiles/events-and-trainings/tclf-resilient-value-chains-times-crisis-0
| EU Textiles Ecosystem Platform
🗓️ 28 April 2026
⏰ 10:00–11:30 CEST
📍 Online
This session will explore how textiles, clothing, and footwear (TCLF) value chains can preserve and strengthen their resilience in times of disruption. Participants will hear expert insights on current challenges and discover concrete best‑practice examples from industry leaders.
🔗 Register now and share within your network: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/EU-Textiles-Ecosystem-Platform-registration-thematic-webinar

22/04/2026

COTANCE participated in the CBE JU Networking Event held on 21 April in Brussels, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders from across the bioeconomy ecosystem.

The event provided a great platform for fruitful discussions and exchanges, and we look forward to strengthening cooperation with partners interested in common projects.

As a sector fully aligned with the objectives of the European Bioeconomy Strategy, the leather industry has a strong role to play. Leather is a bio-based, circular material, that is inherently natural and biodegradable under the right conditions, making it a valuable contributor to a more sustainable future.

We hope to see the leather sector actively engaged in upcoming CBE JU calls, helping to drive innovation and support the continued development of Europe’s bioeconomy.

20/04/2026

The TCLF SkillBridge Mobility Programme brought Europe’s TCLF regions together

From October 2025 to March 2026, representatives from 8 regional skills partnerships under making — including Portugal (Norte), Italy (Emilia-Romagna), France (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ), Sweden (Borås), Poland (Lodzkie), Spain (Catalonia), Belgium (Flanders) — took part in mobility visits across Europe.

With stops at organisations such as CITEVE, Salsa Jeans, Gilmar, Unitex and the Textile Fashion Center Borås, participants gained first-hand insight into how regional ecosystems operate in practice.

Beyond knowledge exchange, the programme fostered new partnerships, collaboration opportunities and a stronger shared understanding of Europe-wide priorities in skills, sustainability and competitiveness.

As one of the participant put it: “The experience was particularly valuable as we had the opportunity to learn about different approaches to challenges that are very similar to those we face in our region. We will now explore how to adapt some of these initiatives locally.”

Curious whether your region is eligible for such a mobility exchange — or how to get involved? [email protected]

14/04/2026

The European leather sector is stepping up its commitment to sustainability and transparency!

On 9 April 2026, COTANCE and industriAll launched the SER2026 project — a new initiative to deliver the updated Social & Environmental Report of the European Leather Industry.
Over the next 20 months, the project will gather key data from across Europe to benchmark social and environmental performance, support companies in meeting new EU requirements, and strengthen social dialogue across the sector.
With strong collaboration between industry and trade unions, SER2026 aims to help build a more responsible, transparent, and future-ready leather industry.

Stay tuned for more insight and follow the progression on our website: https://euroleather.com/ser-2026

20/03/2026

Another day, another reminder of why natural materials like wool and leather outperform synthetics in life-cycle assessments. The latest argument from the International Wool Textile Organisation highlights biogenic carbon — and the need to distinguish it from fossil carbon.
Biogenic carbon is recognised in standards such as ISO 14067 and EN 18027, yet it has not been properly applied to animal-based materials LCA datasets.
A new IWTO study shows that livestock emissions are part of a biological carbon cycle. When these natural flows are properly accounted for, wool’s carbon footprint can drop by 35% to over 100% in some case studies — highlighting how strongly methodology shapes environmental results.

If 0-allocation can apply for livestock products, such as wool, all the more for by-products, such as hides & skins!

At COTANCE we hope the upcoming revision of the PEF/OEF methodology will address these points — ensuring natural materials are assessed fairly and not discouraged in sustainability choices.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsDRSbXO-SM
Article: https://iwto.org/accounting-for-nature-new-framework-transforms-wools-environmental-profile/
Scientific Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X25003713

19/03/2026

The METASKILLS4TCLF project took centre stage at APLF Hong Kong (11–12 March 2026), with COTANCE showcasing how the European leather industry is tackling the skills and education challenge.
🚀 36 micro-courses developed with industry
🎓 Focus on circular economy & digital fashion
🥽 Immersive VR learning, filmed inside real tanneries
🌐 Accessible via the upcoming EU Digital Fashion Campus
From 360° learning on any device to fully immersive VR experiences in 12 Metaverse Labs, METASKILLS is redefining how leather skills are taught — blending AI, innovation and real industrial practice.
We were delighted to see strong interest from stakeholders — not only in the micro-courses themselves, but also in their expansion into multiple languages and their future uptake across the sector.
This is a new generation of training for a new generation of leather professionals: https://www.metaskills4tclf.eu/

17/03/2026

COTANCE joined APLF Hong Kong (12–14 March) to engage with the global leather community on the sector’s future.
Key moments included the International Council of Tanners meeting, confirming strong global alignment on key issues such as , and highlighting a shared commitment to act together. A clear takeaway: leather remains resilient, with the bioeconomy shaping its future.
COTANCE also presented at the Leather Supply Chain Conference and APLF main stage, showcasing how the sector is tackling the skills challenge through the METASKILLS4TCLF EU project.
APLF marked the launch of new initiatives by UNIC & SPIN360 and LHCA partners, advancing science on LCA, biogenic carbon and data transparency — alongside preparations for World Leather Day (29 April), shifting the narrative from volume to value and disposability to durability.
A powerful reminder: global collaboration is key to keeping leather , innovative and competitive.
👉 Learn more: https://www.euroleather.com/news/latest/1344-cotance-at-aplf-hong-kong-2026

24/02/2026

From Tanneries to Virtual Reality: Reimagining Leather Education with METASKILLS4TCLF

The METASKILLS4TCLF project is going global — and the solutions developed by Europe’s TCLF community are already attracting strong interest from the international leather sector.

📅 11 March 2026 | At the Leather Supply Chain 2026 – The Great Leather Reset conference, co-organised by ILM and APLF Ltd during APLF Hong Kong, COTANCE will present a new generation of free, online micro-courses, including four designed specifically for the leather sector under the METASKILLS4TCLF project
Covering digitalisation, traceability, waste reduction and sustainable production, these courses combine academic excellence with innovative learning, augmented reality and immersive VR, filmed inside European tanneries, research centres and clusters.

During the session, Project Manager Vita Kobiela will explain how companies, educators and professionals can benefit from these tools and prepare for the next phase of skills transformation.

Hosted on the upcoming European Virtual Fashion Campus and launching in 2027, this is TCLF education — reimagined.

Attending APLF Hong Kong? Secure your spot now: https://www.aplf.com/events-list/leather-supply-chain-conference-2026/

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