ILM Editor Martin Ricker looks at some of the fundamental issues facing the world’s second largest economy and how the All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE), could signal the start of a recovery for tanners.

The recent All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) presented a more positive outlook for the domestic and global leather supply chain after a pretty tough 2023 so far. The global economy, including the leather supply chain, needs Chinese consumers to start spending.

Like many people working in the international leather business, I did not know what to expect from the 23rd edition of the ACLE, which took place in Shanghai, August 29-31. But, like so many who managed to get an entry visa and through China’s post-Covid bureaucratic health requirements, the fair itself turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Several people told me that the ACLE “was much better than we had expected”.

To  read the rest of this comprehensive analysis by Martin Ricker, clikv on: Shanghai was full of surprises