---
title: LHCA INITIATIVE SEES IDI LAUNCH
description: LCA data store launched
image: https://usleather.org/hubfs/HIDES%20CROPPED.jpg
---

![](https://usleather.org/hs-fs/hubfs/HIDES%20CROPPED.jpg?width=1240&height=606&name=HIDES%20CROPPED.jpg)

# LHCA INITIATIVE SEES IDI LAUNCH

##### October 8, 2025 newsroom

**This month’s launch of ****Institute for ****Data Integrity (IDI) marks a seismic shift for the global leather industry. Spearheaded by the LHCA, this nonprofit is setting out to bring scientific clarity, credibility and transparency to how leather’s environmental performance is measured and communicated.**

Leather has been stuck in a data desert. While synthetic materials have dominated sustainability narratives with cherry-picked metrics, leather has been hamstrung by fragmented data. The result? Misleading comparisons, regulatory disadvantages and lost consumer trust. IDI is flipping the script.

Built on ISO-aligned Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies, IDI will deliver peer-reviewed, globally credible data that finally lets leather stand toe-to-toe with synthetic alternatives. This isn’t just about defending leather—it’s about telling the full story, from livestock to landfill, with scientific rigor.

**Why Now?**

Because the stakes have never been higher.

- EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) rules are reshaping how materials are judged.
- Anti-greenwashing laws are popping up worldwide.
- Consumers and brands are demanding proof—not promises.

Without standardized, transparent data, leather risks being sidelined. IDI offers the antidote: ISO 14040/44-compliant methodologies that meet regulatory demands and withstand scrutiny.

**Science First, Not Spin**

Under the leadership of Dr. Greg Thoma, a globally respected LCA expert and Kevin Latner (LHCA VP) IDI is building a platform that integrates data across the entire supply chain. From livestock production to tanning to end-of-life, this meta-analytic approach ensures no stage is left out—and no shortcuts are taken.

The platform will plug into major LCA software and databases, offering tiered access to protect proprietary data while enabling transparency. Public dashboards will help counter misinformation with accessible, credible science.

**Closing the Tanning Data Gap**

Tanning has long been the Achilles’ heel of leather’s environmental story. IDI is tackling this head-on, collecting and analyzing comprehensive tanning data to showcase the real progress the industry has made—and continues to make.

**What’s Next?**

IDI’s rollout is methodical and mission-driven:

- Q4 2025: Advisory Committee finalized, methodology framework published, platform design completed.
- 2026: Platform launch, first meta-analysis released, pilot datasets go live.
- 2027–2028: Global data coverage expands, brand benchmarking tools and consumer dashboards debut.

This isn’t a rush job. It’s a science-first strategy that sets the standard for environmental data transparency across the entire materials sector.

**Your Role**

IDI’s success depends on industry participation. The more data we contribute, the stronger the case for leather. L&HCA urges members and stakeholders to engage, share data, and prepare to use IDI’s tools as they become available.

This is more than a data platform—it’s infrastructure for the future. IDI ensures leather’s environmental story is told accurately, completely, and compellingly. It’s how we compete – and win – in a data-driven world. 

- [![Public Comment Opportunity Open on EU Deforestation Regulation](https://usleather.org/hubfs/ISP%20IMAGE%20BANNERS%20FEB%20%20(46).png)
  
  ##### Public Comment Opportunity Open on EU Deforestation Regulation
  
   A public comment opportunity is now open on the European Commission's proposal to amend and simplify the EU Deforestation ... 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ](https://usleather.org/news-events/public-comment-opportunity-open-on-eu-deforestation-regulation)
- [![Drought and Economic Headwinds Stall U.S. Cattle Herd Recovery](https://usleather.org/hubfs/ISP%20IMAGE%20BANNERS%20FEB%20%20(45).png)
  
  ##### Drought and Economic Headwinds Stall U.S. Cattle Herd Recovery
  
   Despite record-high calf prices and robust demand that would ordinarily incentivize expansion, the size of the US cattle herd is ... 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ](https://usleather.org/news-events/drought-and-economic-headwinds-stall-u.s.-cattle-herd-recovery)
- [![Spring Meeting](https://usleather.org/hubfs/ISP%20IMAGE%20BANNERS%20FEB%20%20(44).png)
  
  ##### Spring Meeting
  
   LHCA has hosted its first spring Washington, D.C. meeting since 2022, bringing together industry leaders for a packed agenda of ... 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ](https://usleather.org/news-events/spring-meeting)

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