Swiss-headquartered leather and textile labelling and certification association Oeko-Tex has signed and formalised its participation in the Leather Traceability Cluster, led by Cotance, writes ILM.

The Leather Working Group (LWG), the Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) and the Institute of Quality Certification for the Leather Sector (ICEC) signed the agreement at Lineapelle in Milan in February 2023.

Textile Exchange has also agreed to join the exercise but has yet to formalise its participation, while the World Wildlife Fund and National Wildlife Federation have also expressed interest.

Carolin Franitza, Stakeholder Manager at Oeko-Tex, said: “Traceability is essential for making responsible decisions. We believe that cooperation is an important factor in achieving that goal. Therefore, we highly appreciate the initiative of Cotance. The Leather Traceability Cluster is a great opportunity to bring more trust into our industry.”