A leather is judged by its touch, its structure, the way it carries through the years.
It is also judged by what cannot be seen: the way it was tanned.
An initiative born from the trade
The Leather Working Group was founded in 2005 by brands and tanners brought together by a shared goal: to reduce the environmental footprint of the leather industry.
Its governance reflects this balance. Its board, elected by its members, brings together representatives of tanneries, brands and suppliers across the industry.
An independent audit
Certification rests on an audit carried out by independent third-party auditors. The Leather Working Group is not paid for these audits: it receives only an administration fee. A tannery cannot buy its certification; it has to earn it.
What the audit examines
The audit has seventeen sections covering the full activity of a tannery. Among them:
- water and energy use
- environmental management of the site
- management of chemicals and restricted substances
- waste and effluent treatment
- air quality and emissions control
- health, safety and working conditions
Traceability of hides, back to their origin, is assessed separately.
A certification that must be earned again
Certification is never permanent. It is valid for two years, after which the tannery is audited again. Every audit is a new test: a site that lowers its standards loses its certification.
What certification does not say
The Leather Working Group assesses how a tannery works and manages its impact. It does not judge the finished product, nor the intrinsic quality of a leather.
A certified tannery may produce cowhide as well as calf, full grain as well as split leather. Certification guarantees practices. The choice of material belongs to the Maison that buys the leather.
At Fleuron
Our calf leather comes from two European tanneries, both certified by the Leather Working Group: Badia, in Igualada, Spain, and Camaleonte, in Santa Croce sull'Arno, Italy.
Audited practices on one side, a material chosen without compromise on the other. It is the two together that make a Fleuron bag. Discover why full grain calf leather makes all the difference.
Discover all Fleuron bags.