After internal review, the Institute for Data Integrity (IDI) has decided to adopt the UNIDO Guidelines for Assessing the Environmental Footprint of Leather. “The Guidelines are a world-quality instrument for standardising and harmonising the LCA methods used to determine leather's footprint, from raw material through to product manufacture,” shared Karl Flowers, technical consultant for IDI.
Why leather's footprint data has been unreliable
Leather LCA data has long been criticised as outdated or paywalled. Inconsistent methodologies have let synthetic alternatives appear more sustainable than the natural materials they replace, largely on account of how upstream farming impacts get allocated: today, a hide's environmental burden is allocated by mass (~4.8% of the animal's footprint) or by economic value (1–3.5%) — a factor-of-five swing in a leather product's carbon number depending purely on which method is used. The UNIDO Guidelines give the sector its first harmonised, science-based methodology since the 2018 EU Leather PEFCR. IDI's endorsement, and its plan to build the Guidelines into its own LCA datasets, gives tanners and brands a modern, credible calculation methodology going forward.
How the endorsement works
IDI will make the Guidelines available, and expand them, so users of IDI's LCA datasets can select them as an LCIA (life cycle impact assessment) tool in footprint calculations. The endorsement is a core part of the wider IDI methodology now being written.
Reaction from industry leadership
Kevin Latner, Executive Director, IDI: "The guidelines have truly been an industry effort under the auspices of Ivan Kral, the UNIDO team, and the many members of the technical advisory groups that provide feedback during the process. The result is a rigorous, science-based methodology for calculating leather's environmental impact. The strategic importance of the Guideline is reflected in their use for IDI baseline data collection and methodological development.”
Kerry Senior, Secretary, International Council of Tanners: "The ICT is very glad that IDI will be adopting the UNIDO guidelines, which provide a long overdue, evidence-based update to how leather's footprint is calculated. Incorporating the Guideline into the IDI LCA tools will give tanners a comprehensive model for assessing the impact of their product."
What's next
IDI is currently building its data platform, alongside the methodological and data-collection tools needed to support global leather footprint calculations. Incorporating the UNIDO Guidelines as a selectable LCIA option is part of that build-out.
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