Over 37,000 products seized, 19 people reported to the judicial authorities and the Chambers of Commerce, seals on a factory and its warehouse. These are the results of the nationwide maxi-operation “Vera Pelle/Vero Cuoio (2023)” by the Special Goods and Services Unit of the Guardia di Finanza. The Guardia di Finanza planned the operation, which enjoyed the support of UNIC – Italian Tanneries and SSIP, “to prevent fraud in the tanning sector and ensure compliance with the provisions on the use of the terms Cuoio, Pelle and Peltro – states the press release –. So as to identify manufacturers and distributors of products illegally sold as genuine leather or Cuoio, but in reality made with plastic materials, mainly from China”.

What was discovered

The operation, we were saying, was on a national scale. “The risk analysis underlying the operation, based on import and sales data extrapolated from the Corps’ IT backbone, allowed us to identify violations in the provinces of Cuneo, Padua, Modena, Florence, Prato, Rome, Teramo, Naples, Bari and Catania”. The range of product categories is equally broad. Among the 37,000 seized products are footwear and accessories, of course. But also jackets, gloves, beds, headboards, sofas and upholstered chairs. The Guardia di Finanza also confiscated rolls of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) fabric marketed as “eco-leather”.

The false statements

By defeating the network of distributors and producers of fraudulently labeled items, the operation protects more than one value. Consumer safety, first and foremost, but also the rules of fair competition on the market and the protection of the prestige of Italian manufacturing. Because those who import poor quality and low-cost products from abroad (mostly from China) and pass them off as made in Italy, damage the perception of the tricolor label. Expresses great satisfaction for the results of the UNIC operation. Which has always been committed to fighting incorrect commercial definitions (eco-leather to mean synthetics, or all the vegan area variants for materials with a vegetal matrix) and those who improperly use the labels vera pelle and vero Cuoio.