UNIC, the Italian tanners’ association, gave testimony to the Fashion Parliamentary Intergroup on the benefits of Italian leather manufacturing, reports ILM.

Part of the Senate of the Republic of Italy, the meeting of the Fashion Parliamentary Intergroup focused on the sectors driving the Made in Italy initiative.

While fashion, including leather, play an important role in the Italian economy, the meeting highlighted the role of the beauty industry, which contributed 26.1% of Italian GDP at the end of 2022, growing by 56% year-on-year.

In the later half of the meeting, Il Foglio journalist Fabiana Giacomotti spoke with fashion brand Ermanno Scervino CEO Toni Scervino and UNIC General Manager Fulvia Bacchi about the role of Italian artisans.

Bacchi noted that the leather industry expresses “absolute excellence from industrial, qualitative and creative points of view. But it is experiencing a complex market phase to which are added the risks induced by some regulations being approved in Brussels and those linked to the need to satisfy significant training needs.”

The Intergroup reportedly aims to develop methods of support for Italian SMEs from the government.

UNIC Vice-President Alessandro Iliprandi added: “Today, tanneries can be as beautiful as museums. If we want young people to find this profession attractive, we must offer them a pleasant environment. In the company, the average age of employees does not exceed 35 years.”

While the meeting was an important chance for the Italian leather industry to make its voice heard, UNIC has called for a working group to take that inclusion a step further.

UNIC recently took to a meeting at the Senate to argue for the industry’s inclusion in the Made in Italy bill.