The chief executive of leather manufacturing group Gruppo Mastrotto has paid tribute to the work that three industry organisations carried out to win a fairer deal for leather from the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI). By Leatherbiz.

Environmental impact assessment tool the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI) announced in late October that it had updated its score for leather, attributing much lower impacts to the material.

Using lifecycle assessment (LCA) information from the Leather Working Group and Leather Naturally, specialist leather industry-focused environmental consultancy Spin 360 submitted detailed data for leather’s impact to the Higg Index and succeeded in bringing about a change that the global leather industry had been requesting since 2020.

In recent comments, Gruppo Mastrotto chief executive, Chiara Mastrotto, said these three leather industry organisations deserved congratulations for their “excellent and data-driven work and analysis”.

Ms Mastrotto went on to say that securing a fairer score for leather on the Higg MSI highlighted that choosing to use bovine leather in finished products represented “a sustainable material choice” for sourcing professionals.

She added that this development also marked “a crucial step in the fight against global warming”.

“It is encouraging to see the leather industry taking strides toward a more sustainable future, promoting responsible sourcing and production practices that protect people and the planet,” she said.