Solidaridad Regional Expertise Centre (SREC) and the Council for Leather Exports (CLE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive improvements in the Indian leather industry.

Signed at the end of 2023, the agreement is effective from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2028, and will focus on upskilling the Indian tannery workforce.

Solidaridad will reportedly support the CLE by introducing comprehensive training programmes, facilitating access to cleaner technology and promoting certifications. 150,000 workers will be trained over five years alongside capacity-building programmes and additional partnerships with leather institutions and businesses in India.

CLE Chairman Sanjay Leekha said: “The CLE has set an ambitious target of US$47 billion by 2030 for the Indian leather industry. This opens up avenues for leather professionals to innovate. I am happy to share that the MoU between CLE and Solidaridad is an alliance to represent a commitment to steering the Indian leather and footwear industry towards a more sustainable future.

“We are embarking on the journey of partnership, innovation and commitment to sustainability that will bring about transformative changes in the industry. Being responsible organisations, our endeavour would be to shape a sustainable future for this ever-evolving, labour-intensive manufacturing and exporting sector of India. Such an initiative also aligns very well with the ‘Make in India’ motto from the Government of India.”