title: “Leather Formally Excluded From EU Deforestation Regulation” seo_description: “Hides, skins and leather have been formally removed from the scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation, a decision COTANCE calls a historic victory backed by scientific evidence.” seo_tags: [“EUDR”, “COTANCE”, “leather industry”, “deforestation”, “EU regulation”, “tanneries”] seo_slug: “leather-excluded-from-eudr” source_url: “https://leathernews.org/leather-formally-excluded-from-eudr-as-cotance-calls-decision-historic-victory/”

Leather Formally Excluded From EU Deforestation Regulation

Hides, skins and leather have been formally excluded from the scope of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), with COTANCE describing the decision as a historic victory for the European and global leather industry. The exclusion became official on 14 September 2026, following two years of evidence-based engagement by COTANCE, its national associations and leather industry organisations worldwide.

COTANCE said the decision rests on scientific evidence showing that raw hides account for only 1.50% of a bovine’s total value at the abattoir. An academic study commissioned by COTANCE and UNIC and conducted by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies at the University of Pisa, drawing on more than 94 million data records, found no scientific evidence linking leather to deforestation.

“Today the European Union saved a European industry recognized worldwide for its excellency. This is a historic day for every tannery, every worker, and every stakeholder who stood behind this cause,” said COTANCE President Manuel Rios.

The organisation noted that the previous EUDR scope could have placed European tanneries at a competitive disadvantage, since products made with EU leather would have faced compliance requirements while products made with non-EU leather would not. That asymmetry, industry representatives argued, would have punished exactly the producers with the strongest environmental and traceability credentials.

At the same time, COTANCE stressed that the exclusion will not reduce the industry’s focus on responsible sourcing and traceability. “Traceability and due diligence will remain priorities for the European leather industry,” it said. Edoardo De Paola, Secretary General of COTANCE, noted that because raw hides are a by-product of the livestock industry, leather producers lack the economic leverage to enforce EUDR requirements on cattle breeders.

The EUDR provides for a review of the regulation in 2030, and COTANCE said it will continue to monitor developments concerning leather’s status under the law. For now, the decision removes a significant regulatory overhang for tanners and the brands that buy their leather, and gives the sector a clearer runway to invest in the sustainability credentials it has long argued it already holds.

Source: Leather News (leathernews.org).