The Green Deal Leather project, formally titled “Towards Zero Adverse Impact of the European Leather Industry”, was funded by the European Union under the Social Prerogative and Specific Competencies Lines (SOCPL). It ran from September 2022 to May 2024, with a total budget of EUR 390 thousand, including an EU contribution of EUR 350 thousand. Coordinated by Confederation of National Associations of Tanners and Dressers of the European Community (COTANCE) in partnership with industriAll‑Europe, the project brought together employers’ associations and trade unions from across Europe. The initiative aimed to support the transition of the European leather industry towards a more sustainable, circular and socially responsible model by establishing reliable baseline data and benchmarks on two key priorities: workplace safety in tanneries and the carbon footprint of leather production. Through a structured social dialogue approach, the project collected and analysed sector‑wide data to provide a transparent and comparable basis for monitoring progress and supporting continuous improvement across the value chain.

A central focus of Green Deal Leather was the collection, analysis and transparent communication of sector-wide data to support evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement through social dialogue.

Key achievements of the project include:

• Establishment of workplace safety benchmarks based on collected data across several European countries, covering a large share of the sector’s companies, workforce and production, and identifying key risk patterns and trends.
• Development and validation of a quantified benchmark for the carbon footprint of European bovine leather based on audited data from tanneries in multiple Member States.
• Agreement on harmonised data collection methodologies and reference values between social partners, providing a common framework for future monitoring, comparison and reporting.
• Creation of robust baseline datasets on workplace safety and carbon emissions, enabling the sector to measure progress over time and support evidence‑based decision‑making.

Green Deal Leather contributed to EU objectives under the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the EU Industrial Strategy and the EU Competitiveness Compass by supporting a fairer, greener and more resilient leather industry. By establishing transparent benchmarks on workplace safety and carbon emissions, the project provided the sector with concrete reference points to guide improvement and demonstrate progress. The strong social-dialogue approach reinforced cooperation between workers and employers, and provided a common framework for assessing and monitoring workplace safety and environmental performance across the sector.

Green Deal Leather was coordinated by COTANCE in close cooperation with industriAll-Europe and national employers’ associations and trade unions across Europe. The project fostered collaboration between social partners, industry representatives and public stakeholders. Knowledge exchange and dissemination were supported through dedicated workshops and public events, including sessions at major sector events such as Lineapelle and a final conference in Brussels that brought together up to 100 participants to discuss the project’s findings. In parallel, the project implemented EU-wide communication activities, including multilingual materials, videos and outreach campaigns aimed at improving transparency, addressing misconceptions and promoting best practices within the leather industry. These actions supported the dissemination and uptake of the project’s results, strengthened stakeholder engagement, and contributed to a shared understanding of sustainability challenges and opportunities across the European leather ecosystem.