中文What Is LWG Certification?
The Leather Working Group (LWG) is a global multi-stakeholder group that audits tanneries and traders on environmental compliance, traceability and chemical management. An LWG audit yields a medal rating (Audited, Bronze, Silver, Gold) based on a percentage score.
What Does LWG Audit?
- Energy use, water consumption and waste-water treatment
- Air emissions and odour control
- Traceability of hides (farm → slaughter → tannery)
- Restricted substance compliance (e.g. OEKO-TEX®, REACH)
- Social and governance commitments
Why LWG Matters for Buyers
Brands sourcing from LWG-certified tanneries can make defensible sustainability claims and trace leather back to origin. For a manufacturer like Galan Leather, partnering with LWG-rated tanneries supports compliance with EU circular-economy rules and buyer codes of conduct.
How to Verify an LWG Rating
Ask suppliers for their LWG audit certificate and medal level, then cross-check the tannery name on the LWG public database. Audit scores, not logos alone, prove the claim.
FAQ
Is LWG the same as vegan leather?
No. LWG audits animal-leather tanneries; “vegan leather” is typically PU/PVC and is outside LWG scope.
Does LWG certify factories or tanneries?
Primarily tanneries and traders; finished-goods factories should source from rated tanneries.
Related guide: Sustainable & Ethical Leather
“Brands increasingly ask us to source leather only from LWG-rated tanneries. For us it is not a marketing badge: it changes how we select suppliers, how we document chemical compliance, and how much traceability we can show a buyer before they even place an order.”
More from the leather glossary: OEM vs ODM · Chrome vs vegetable tanning · Types of leather · MOQ & sampling terms · Full glossary
