The Sustainable Leather Forum went ahead in Paris on September 13. This year’s forum is the third that France’s Conseil National du Cuir has run, reports Leatherbiz.

In an opening keynote address, Hélène Valade, environment director at luxury group LVMH, said that manufacturers need to “reinvent themselves to create a circular economy model”. She added that the ‘extract, manufacture, throw away’ production model was no longer viable.

Subsequent sessions covered topics including the vegan movement, animal welfare, deforestation, carbon footprint, leather life cycle analysis, responsible production, comparisons between leather and synthetic alternatives, and transparency and communication.

Image shows: Conseil National du Cuir president, Frank Boehly, speaking at the start of the event, with moderator Nicolas Rossignol and Hélène Valade.