Brazil’s Leather Exports Top $1.2 Billion in 2024, Driven by Market Diversification

Brazil’s leather industry closed 2024 on a decidedly positive note. Total exports of hides and skins reached $1.26 billion, a 12.5% increase compared to 2023, according to year-end data that underscores the sector’s resilience and its increasing success in penetrating diverse global markets.

The growth story is not limited to value. In square meters, exports rose 22.3% year-on-year; in weight, the total exported was 38.8% higher in tonnage. That divergence—export value growing at 12.5% while volume grows at 22.3%—suggests that while Brazil is selling more leather by area and weight, the average price per unit has softened slightly. That is not necessarily a negative signal; it may reflect a strategic shift toward higher-volume, more competitive pricing to capture market share in emerging destinations.

José Fernando Bello, executive president of the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB), framed the 2024 results as significant but emphasized that the most meaningful advancements of the year extended beyond the numbers themselves. “This year has been crucial for us,” Bello said. “We worked relentlessly on issues such as compliance, traceability, and customs barriers, achieving results that set the stage for further growth in 2025.”

Three specific achievements stand out from CICB’s 2024 agenda. First, the creation of the CICB Raw Material Guide—a step-by-step manual for obtaining traceable raw material data within Brazil—addresses one of the most persistent barriers to premium market access: the ability to demonstrate that exported leather originates from cattle raised in compliance with environmental and social standards. Second, the federal government’s launch of the National Plan for Individual Identification of Cattle and Buffaloes represents a policy-level commitment to the traceability infrastructure that tanneries need to satisfy import market requirements. Third, Vietnam’s removal of the sanitary certificate requirement for Brazilian wet blue leather has opened a meaningful new channel for Brazilian exports.

The market diversification story is particularly compelling. Vietnam emerged as the fourth-largest destination for Brazilian leather in 2024, with exports to that market rising an extraordinary 69.8% in value compared to 2023. Mexico, likewise, surged 26.3% to become the fifth-largest importer of Brazilian leather. And China—Brazil’s largest leather export market—grew 26.9% in value (or 20.8% when including Hong Kong), confirming that demand from the world’s leather goods manufacturing powerhouse remains robust.

That diversification matters. A leather export sector that relies heavily on a single destination is vulnerable to regulatory changes, economic downturns, or geopolitical shifts in that market. By building meaningful export volumes to Vietnam, Mexico, and China simultaneously, Brazil reduces its exposure to any single market’s vicissitudes.

Looking ahead to 2025, Bello reaffirmed the sector’s commitment to technologies and processes that enhance sustainability while meeting client and regulatory demands. He highlighted life cycle assessment (LCA) as an increasingly important consideration for leather clients—one that is already impacting supply chain requirements and material specifications.

To advance that agenda, CICB will organize the CICB Sustainability Forum on March 19 during Fimec, with the central theme of Life Cycle Assessment in the Leather Industry. For Brazilian tanneries that are accustomed to competing on price and volume, the integration of LCA data into commercial offerings represents a shift toward competing on environmental performance as well—a transition that mirrors broader dynamics across the global leather industry.

Brazil’s leather industry has long been recognized for its scale, its technical capabilities, and its favorable raw material base. The 2024 export results suggest that the sector is increasingly able to convert those strengths into diversified market access—a development that, if sustained, positions Brazil not just as a low-cost supplier but as a sophisticated, compliance-ready partner for the world’s leather goods manufacturers.

Source: Leather International – Brazil’s leather exports surpass $1.2bn