The Leather Working Group
While we value leather for its heritage and durability, we place equal importance on how it is sourced. This is why we only source our leather, suede and shearling from leather manufacturers certified against the Leather Working Group (LWG) standard.
Leather
As a natural byproduct of the food industry, leather plays a considered role in reducing waste. Livestock has long been raised primarily for food, with hides historically seen as a low-value byproduct.
Without further use, these hides would be discarded – but through their transformation into leather, this material is given lasting purpose.
The Leather Working Group
Since 2021, we’ve been members of the Leather Working Group (LWG) – a not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder organisation committed to reducing the environmental impact of leather manufacturing. It sets the LWG Standards of environmental criteria against which leather manufacturers are independently audited and certified. Through our membership, we support the ongoing development and adoption of these standards.
The Leather Manufacturer
Standard
Introduced in 2005, the Leather Working Group’s flagship audit, the Leather Manufacture Standard, assesses the environmental performance and compliance of leather manufacturing facilities. It spans key areas including water and energy use, waste and effluent management, chemical management and health and safety.
At its core is a focus on continuous improvement. Facilities are assessed every two years and awarded a medal rating based on performance – from ‘audited’, where baseline requirements are met, through to ‘gold’, recognising the highest standards of leather production.
What it stands for
Environmental management
The standard considers whether facilities have a documented, effective and active system for managing the environmental aspects of their business. This includes energy consumption, water use, emissions to air and noise, alongside waste management and effluent treatment.
Traceability
The ability of manufacturers to trace their incoming and outgoing materials. For incoming materials, this focuses on their ability to trace back to the specific slaughterhouse or region of origin and includes due diligence for sourcing from areas at-risk of deforestation.
Chemical management
The standard reviews how facilities understand and manage the chemicals used during leather production. This includes alignment with the Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL), which outlines substances that must not be intentionally used in processing.
Social responsibility
The standard also seeks to determine if facilities can demonstrate social responsibility through independent third-party assessment, including their ability to manage a range of emergency and health and safety risks.
Animal welfare
We stand firm in our commitment that no animal will ever be slaughtered for the purpose of creating our products. Our animal-welfare policy, developed in partnership with the animal charity FOUR PAWS, is available here.
Tracing our leather products
To better understand and follow the journey of our materials, we partner with TextileGenesis™, a pioneering traceability platform. Through its Supply Chain Mapping module, we're building a clearer view across every stage of the supply chain, from raw material through to finished product.
Find out more
Take a look at other ways we’re committed to improving our practices.
