While some fashion and footwear consumers are exploring leather alternatives, many only want the real deal. So, it’s up to brands using leather to understand the material’s advantages as well as its environmental impacts and reduce the latter wherever possible, writes Sourcing Journal.

To help, PrimeAsia has started new initiatives to determine which elements contribute to its environmental impacts and to measure, manage and reduce manufacturing and product footprints.

PrimeAsia, the largest full-service footwear tanning group in Asia, created one of the most comprehensive life cycle assessments (LCA) in the leather and footwear industries. The LCA was created in a continuous effort to increase the use of scientific-based approaches in its operations.

In 2019, PrimeAsia started mapping its products, covering 11 different supply chain configurations and collecting over 3,000 data points. This extensive database is now used for continuous and effective environmental management, supporting its journey toward cleaner production approaches and reduced environmental footprint.

“PrimeAsia believes that creativity and innovation will result in continuous improvement, more efficient processes and sustainable products. However, we can only identify areas for improvement if we are measuring our performance to find further opportunities for efficiencies,” said Fernando Bellese, chief sustainability officer at PrimeAsia. “The life cycle assessments allow us to have a very detailed view of our impacts, identify the hot spots and develop suitable projects to address those areas.”