Transforming the Leather Industry to Combat Deforestation

Today’s episode highlights a new initiative that aims to reduce the environmental footprint of leather production. Leather, as we all know, is sourced from cattle. And right now, cattle ranching for both beef and leather production is a major driver of deforestation, particularly in biomes such as the Amazon, Cerrado and Gran Chaco. In Brazil, for example, cattle ranching drives twice as much deforestation as the production of soy, palm oil, and wood products combined. It’s a major problem that we need to overcome if we’re going to save critical ecosystems, conserve species, and secure a stable future for our planet.

That’s where the Deforestation-Free Leather Fund comes in. This new initiative, launched by WWF in March, gives companies that use leather in their products a chance to make a difference. This episode features an interview with the leader of that initiative, Fernando Bellese, about what exactly he hopes the fund will achieve. Companies or individuals interested in joining this effort can get more information in the links below.

Links for More Info:

Fernando Bellese bio

Deforestation-Free Leather Fund

BLOG: Leather Now Has a New Role: Helping to Prevent Deforestation

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Preview

0:31 Intro

2:04 Fernando’s background

4:19 Difference between sustainable vs. unsustainable leather

8:10 Why is a fund needed?

13:50 How the fund works

28:21 Why should companies get involved?

31:27 How can consumers help?

34:25 Outro