Conclusion of the Due Diligence 2-year project

UK Leather has been participating in The Due Diligence for healthy workplaces in the tanning industry project, which kicked off in March 2017. This project involved IndustriAll Union and a number of the European Associations. The project had two main aims:

1. Conduct a wide survey on how leather products manufacturers/importers set tannery workplace standards and monitor work conditions in their supply chain, how EU tanneries are regulated/controlled and how their own leather supply chain can be monitored, and how observers/stakeholders observe and interact with the leather value chain and;
2. Revise and update the OiRA Self-Assessment tool for the tanning sector which allows small and medium sized tanneries to make a self-assessment of health and safety risks, develop their own Risk Assessment Reports and select measures to prevent workplace incidents.The project concluded in October, 2018.

This is an excerpt from the COTANCE website here.

COTANCE and industriAll-Europe are pleased with the success of their final conference held on October 9 in Brussels that brought together some 50 stakeholders of the leather value chain, including tanners, workers’ representatives, brands, sector associations and experts, as well as international organisations and NGOs.

The EU social partners are particularly satisfied with the positive impact of their initiative on the image of the European leather industry, on the perception of the importance of health & safety at tannery workplaces along the leather value chain, on the promotion of the values of the Social Dialogue at Sector level and of its fruits, such as the OiRA Tannery tool.

Both sides of the European leather industry understand that the work on health and safety needs to be continued.

“Health and safety for workers is a priority for industriAll-Europe,” says Sylvain Lefebvre. “The objective of the Due Diligence project was to identify any concern in that field and while it was achieved successfully, we must continue to develop a long-term policy of good practices to ensure a quality of life on the workplace. OECD, OSHA, the European Commission, national governements and the ILO can and should take measures to improving working conditions.”

COTANCE’s participation in the new EU OSHA Campaign on the sound management of dangerous substances (https://healthy-workplaces.eu/en/campaign-partners/confederation-national-associations-tanners-and-dressers-european-community) is a clear reflection of that commitment. Their submission to the European Commission of a new joint project looking at Social & Environmental Reporting in Europe’s leather industry is a further positive example of their fruitful Social Dialogue.

“The follow-up on these matters will remain a priority for COTANCE and industriAll in the years to come,” concludes Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano.

Links:

Reports in 7 languages:
http://www.euroleather.com/index.php/documents/245-due-diligence-survey-report