12 February 2025
Hong Kong
A joint presentation from WWF U.S. and Imaflora aims to add clarity to companies (tanneries and brands) buying leather from Brazil and trying to implement steps to assess their supply chains against deforestation.
It will be presented at the Leather Supply Chain Symposium 2025 in Hong Kong on March 11 (pm), the day before the APLF leather fair.
The presentation is titled “Guidance for downstream leather buyers: Implementing and assessing deforestation and conversion free supply chains in the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado.”
It will be presented by Fernando Bellese of WWF U.S. and Louise Nakagawa from NGO, Imaflora and presents how companies buying leather from Brazil can engage with their suppliers in the implementation of their commitments to deforestation and conversion free (DCF) supply chains and follow clear steps to verify compliance against those commitments.
Using Imaflora’s recently published Guidance for Downstream Companies of Beef Processors Operating in the Amazon and in the Cerrado, the presentation will demonstrate how companies can adopt the Beef on Track and Cerrado Protocols to communicate and monitor their suppliers in their journey towards more sustainable supply chains.
Fernando Bellese is a marketing and sustainability professional with over 20 years of experience, holds a Master’s in Tourism, Environment, and Social Development from King’s College London and advanced certification in Environmental Leadership from UC Berkeley. Over the past 14 years, he has led sustainability initiatives in the fashion, automotive, leather, and beef sectors.
As Senior Director for Beef and Leather Supply Chains at WWF U.S., he works to create market conditions that conserve natural habitats while benefiting businesses and communities. He has also contributed to leather sector initiatives such as the Leather Working Group, ZDHC, The Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather, The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and Leather Naturally, focusing on innovation, traceability, and responsible practices in the global leather and beef sectors.
Louise Nakagawa is a biologist with a Master’s and PhD in Energy. She has an international academic career working at Wageningen University and the University of Liverpool. With extensive experience in the third sector, Louise is the project coordinator for the Beef on Track Programme, bringing expertise in Governance, Sustainability, and Rural Development in the soya and beef value chains.
Imaflora is an important Brazilian NGO, very engaged in projects around deforestation in the beef and leather supply chains, helping to facilitate important sector discussions.
Look out for more speaker and topic announcements
In the coming weeks, ILM and APLF will be announcing more speakers and topics for the half-day conference. The event is aimed at anyone working in the global leather supply chain, from raw materials through to finished products manufacturers, brands and retailers. Keep an eye on the ILM and APLF websites as well as our social media channels for regular updates.
The Leather Supply Chain Symposium 2025 is lead sponsored by Evolved By Nature and Mindhive Global. It is a must-attend event for anyone looking to find out more about some of the industry’s hottest topics such as traceability, deforestation legislation, AI technology, biobased chemistries and life cycle assessments for leather.
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