Welcome to the Euro*pean Leather, Shoe and Hide

This article have it’s background in a campaing called Leather Naturally Campaing. Information about it is to find on Internett; www.Leather Naturally Campaing org. The campaing as is a big industry initiativ is leaded of the british proffesor Mike Redwood. It’s in the starting point a important campaing in a time with the wind of change blowing through the trade. And exciting, because it’s open  fore everyone to join.Olso you and me. And it have like that, perhaps several sides, and many different oponions,……..?

Leather Naturally Campaing.

It’s a little how you see it,the situation for leather and hides. If you look on  it in light of the campaing <Leather Naturally Campaing>  as was started in 2010 of worried humans in connection to the global leatherindustry so should everyone with interest of leather and hide be continuosly conserned with.And particular they who sells rawhides and skins, because the buyers of these, or more correct, the manufactures, as make products as the consumers buy.They begin to get some problem,because the consumer are not allways so much care if it stay< Naturally Leather> or <Syntetich Leather> on the informativ label in the shop. This have leaded to the reactions in the leatherindustry as stays a manufactures of as well leather  as quality products of these.The leading in the reactions is the british proffesor Mike Redwood as launced <Leather Naturally Campaing> on ACLE (All China Leather Exhibition) in Shanghai in 2010. And as many of the producers in the leatherindustry have expressed agreement about. Among other means these that the texstile industry and producers of petrochemical industry products destroy both fore them with the notion <Synetich Leather> as for leather  as a material in it self and the well known positive attitudes as durability,naturalness,beauty and vigour. But it also threaten the maintainess  of the image of leather as a material of higher value and quality. The campaing consern thus every interested of leather and hide. It’s open to all interested to join. Also leathercrafters. But it’s perhaps a discussable theme for the big industrys far-off cousins from the break in the industrial revolution, as swept crafts on door, how interesting it’s to join a industrial campaing. For $ 500 can you get the right to use the campaings logo on your webside. But without that this tells any about the crafts place in the campaing.The movement have not in the writing moment, get any organisation on place. But the initiativ have leaded to some simple goals,they are;

1. To educate the buying public,fashion designers and finished product manufactures about the use,beauty and sustainability of leather.

2. To educate the public on the shortcomings of syntetich materials made from petrochemical processes which leave a huge carbon footprint on the environment and like radioactive materials, take hundres if not thousands of years to biograde thenselvs into Mother Earth.

3. To defend the leather industry  against the criticism leveled against the use of animal skins and the alleged dangers caused by cattle ranching and tanning industry to the environment.

From the rainforrest in Amazonas to the shops in Bogstadveien.

But it ‘s not only from other industryes as leather  have get competition. Organizations as Greenpeace have brought focus among others on the enormous cattle breeding in South-America.Something as again have been with on to destroy the rainforrest in Amazonas. And as is with on to give leather  a unserving bad reputation. The same have animalsrigsts activist critical point of viwe been with on. With right and unright.Sensitive and modern humans reacts on such when they choose a product in the shop in Bogstadveien in Oslo, on a market, or in a gallery.They choose between <Syntetich Leather> or <Naturally Leather>. Concious or unconcious. Even if, for instance, Greenpeaces campaings in South-America probably means little or nothing in scandinavia where the problems are about the oposite. It’s getting steady fewer farms. Steady lesser cattle breeding.Rough grazing gets overgrown. Wilderness stays steady closer around growing places and towns. With humans as on a couple of generations have get agriculture on  some distance and the relation that of cattle breeding comes rawhides  as a result of the demand of meat. And the understanding that the hides is trash of the meatproduction as humans have learned to preserve and use through thousands of years.To the shoes or coat,the bag or knifesheat,the slippers or whatever you like. Even those who is occupyed with a craft in connection to leather looks sometimes to have a periphery relation to a tannery’s place in the existence.

A industry/trade phenomen or?

It’s not the first time that the phenomen as <syntetich leather> is a topic to consern and mention in the leathertrade. It’s possible to read about it, for instance, in older norwegian trade publications from the 1930th. That <Syntetich Leather> not are leather and can not be mentioned leather. And if you see the <Naturally Leather Campaing> in light of that so can it also look like a trade phenomen. As show up in depression times and as dissapears  with prosperity times.But also is ‘t possible that the campaing is a result af bigger historical flows inside a notion as evlution. And not because of what Greenpeace or other organizations might think. Or what invention of syntetich materials might means. Evlutions is sumed up in in thousand, and million years.And they change the humans existence. But that do not mean in the secondary considerations that leather and the qualitynotions gets lesser actual. It have had and have it’s own existence right.Independent of milieu organizations, texstile or the petrochemical industrys many invention,the trade fluctuations on the market, and so fare,at least, the historys inexorable going. It’s this what the undersigner understand that the <Leather Naturally Campaing> will defend and fight for.

A new time in brewing?.

It,s pobably so that many have a oponion about the development conserning the leatherindustry and the trade. This magazin means to have market a choir of different voices. Some point on that it’s happen  a evlution on the erea within tanning.That it  within few years will happen things as will create big changes. One of the senarios is that it will be founded gigant tannerys. As<vaccum clean> the market fore rawhides. Something as ill result in that the medium zised tannerys will disappear in the competition. Something as again will result in less money in the tanning industry. And less interest to creativety activity.  But this could olso give the small tanneryes a possibility. Those who  for instance, not need big quantityes of rawhide as he big tannerys need to keep up a quantitative productions to the big industrys activity. The small tannerys possibiltys is in a small quailty productions as can be market under a brand name. And be used for instance of niche producers. On different ways is ‘t narrow to think that a evlution only should consern tanning as a part of a bigger related erea. And that not all parts of it should be touched. Also down to the small craft workshops,to the hobbyist. We are living in exciting times. What the futhure  will bring is unknown. But The Euro*paen Leather, Shoe and Hide support the <Leather Naturally Campaing> Out of the small tannerys and the  small crafters work shops right to exist.

(text under work)