For years, ECCO has blazed trails to drive transformational change in the leather industry. A key indicator of our success is the Leather Working Group (LWG) rating which ranks us according to our environmental performance together with peers in our industry.

Since we joined the LWG in 2010, our tannery in Dongen has performed well. And this year, we achieved a gold rating for all our tanneries worldwide.

“Teamwork, focus, and dedication are the indisputable reasons why we have achieved the goal we set for ourselves. We belong among the very best. And I am very proud that our team has united to make it happen,” says André Radtke, Managing Director of ECCO’s tannery in Dongen.

Teamwork and dedication got us back on track

Leading up to the last audit, an increase in our use of water and energy challenged the environmental performance of the Dutch tannery but this time, a united Dongen team worked with strong commitment, expertise, and team spirit to get us back on track. Especially the teamwork between colleagues in the quality, Environment Health and Safety, and People and Culture teams helped the management in Dongen with a better structure and vision of the objectives.

In addition to teamwork and dedication, investments in solar energy panels and water recycling have vastly improved the environmental performance of the tannery. And equally important, an improved environmental management system has added discipline and renewed methodology to their way of working.

Proud to be among the best

While our sole focus remains on being among the best of the best, the LWG rating is a clear signal to our partners and consumers that we take our environmental responsibility seriously.

“The LWG helps us to benchmark our performance with the best in the market. In this sense, the rating is an important indicator to many of our customers who need the certification for their suppliers,” explains Bart Hoffman-Kronborg, VP Operations of ECCO Leather. “But the truth is that what matters the most to me is that we are among the best in the market – it is much more important than the rating in itself. And I am proud to see how people from different departments offered their support so we could reach our goal. That’s what I really like – that we work together for a common goal.”