Strategy
Our Purpose and Mission
Creating a socially and environmentally sustainable leather value chain
Our mission is to create value for customers, shareholders, employees, and society by developing product and process innovations and raising awareness of the need for sustainable solutions in the entire leather value chain. We aim to cooperate with all the stakeholders, from research centers to competitors and beyond in the leather value chain, and share knowledge and innovations in order to get more sustainable solutions for manufacturing leather. By working together towards the same goal, we aim to improve the leather industry as a whole and to keep Royal Smit & Zoon relevant and on top of the market.
For our customers, this means they can always rely on our safe, efficient, and sustainable solutions. Our shareholders are given continuity, profit, and further growth, leading to a strong sense of pride in our achievements. Employees of Royal Smit & Zoon are always part of our family; through our employability programs, they remain competent, involved, and engaged. Our mission helps society as a whole by not only offering leather as a sustainable source for all kinds of products but also by taking care of our planet and of the next generations of people that will be living here.
Our Philosophy
Towards the future of leather
As a 7th generation family business celebrating our 200th anniversary, thinking about the next generation is always on our minds. That is why we offer our customers sustainable solutions that meet the latest quality and safety standards. In our labs, our highly qualified chemists, product developers, and leather technicians continuously search for quality improvements and environmentally more friendly innovations that support the sustainability of our customers’ businesses. We believe that their future is our future.
Our 2025 Strategy
Innovation and family values as the guiding principles in our thought-driven leadership
The heart of our strategy is creating sustainable leather together, keeping in mind the continuity of our family-owned company, building on its rich history since 1821. This context of ‘taking care of the next generation’ is not only relevant in the family setting, but it is also something that affects our customers, industry partners, and other stakeholders.
The fundament of our business strategy for the years to come lies in our purpose and mission. We will continue to play a catalyzing role in making the leather value chain sustainable. To keep fulfilling our role as a catalyst, we work with many stakeholders in the sector and act as transparently as possible, with respect to our Guiding Principles - a set of statements that expresses our shared ideals and values. All of our business areas, segments, regions, and brands have their specific roles, but together they can contribute to an industry that will remain relevant, thanks to Royal Smit & Zoon’s guiding principles. In 2025, as well as right now. To support this, we are launching our new 2025 ESG Roadmap that is describing our commitments to our stakeholders. The execution of this ESG Roadmap is closely monitored and facilitated by the ESG Steering Team, consisting of all the Board members and the Global Directors for Production, R&D, and ESG.
Guiding Principles
Objective: Royal Smit & Zoon Guiding Principles support the company mission
We want to have a company culture with clear guidelines on how to join and contribute to our mission: “to create a socially and environmentally sustainable leather value chain”. Our Guiding Principles help us to make decisions and guide us in our daily behavior and are important to ensure the long-term protection of our culture. We emphasize the importance to ensure that short-term decisions do not have a negative long-term impact. Together with our employees, we developed the five Guiding Principles, with the aim of getting everyone aligned on our mission. The Guiding Principles are secured in different employee documents and tools.
We care for our customers, for each other and for the world
We are driven team players
We value and are united by diversity
We are committed to make a difference
We are passionate experts
These five Guiding Principles are:
We care for our customers, for each other and for the world
We are driven team players
We value and are united by diversity
We are committed to make a difference
We are passionate experts
These five Guiding Principles are:
Guiding Principles
Objective: Royal Smit & Zoon Guiding Principles support the company mission
We want to have a company culture with clear guidelines on how to join and contribute to our mission: “to create a socially and environmentally sustainable leather value chain”. Our Guiding Principles help us to make decisions and guide us in our daily behavior and are important to ensure the long-term protection of our culture. We emphasize the importance to ensure that short-term decisions do not have a negative long-term impact. Together with our employees, we developed the five Guiding Principles, with the aim of getting everyone aligned on our mission. The Guiding Principles are secured in different employee documents and tools.
Our 2025 Strategy
Innovation and family values as the guiding principles in our thought-driven leadership
The heart of our strategy is creating sustainable leather together, keeping in mind the continuity of our family-owned company, building on its rich history since 1821. This context of ‘taking care of the next generation’ is not only relevant in the family setting, but it is also something that affects our customers, industry partners, and other stakeholders.
The fundament of our business strategy for the years to come lies in our purpose and mission. We will continue to play a catalyzing role in making the leather value chain sustainable. To keep fulfilling our role as a catalyst, we work with many stakeholders in the sector and act as transparently as possible, with respect to our Guiding Principles - a set of statements that expresses our shared ideals and values. All of our business areas, segments, regions, and brands have their specific roles, but together they can contribute to an industry that will remain relevant, thanks to Royal Smit & Zoon’s guiding principles. In 2025, as well as right now. To support this, we are launching our new 2025 ESG Roadmap that is describing our commitments to our stakeholders. The execution of this ESG Roadmap is closely monitored and facilitated by the ESG Steering Team, consisting of all the Board members and the Global Directors for Production, R&D, and ESG.
Our Philosophy
Towards the future of leather
As a 7th generation family business celebrating our 200th anniversary, thinking about the next generation is always on our minds. That is why we offer our customers sustainable solutions that meet the latest quality and safety standards. In our labs, our highly qualified chemists, product developers, and leather technicians continuously search for quality improvements and environmentally more friendly innovations that support the sustainability of our customers’ businesses. We believe that their future is our future.
Our Purpose and Mission
Creating a socially and environmentally sustainable leather value chain
Our mission is to create value for customers, shareholders, employees, and society by developing product and process innovations and raising awareness of the need for sustainable solutions in the entire leather value chain. We aim to cooperate with all the stakeholders, from research centers to competitors and beyond in the leather value chain, and share knowledge and innovations in order to get more sustainable solutions for manufacturing leather. By working together towards the same goal, we aim to improve the leather industry as a whole and to keep Royal Smit & Zoon relevant and on top of the market.
For our customers, this means they can always rely on our safe, efficient, and sustainable solutions. Our shareholders are given continuity, profit, and further growth, leading to a strong sense of pride in our achievements. Employees of Royal Smit & Zoon are always part of our family; through our employability programs, they remain competent, involved, and engaged. Our mission helps society as a whole by not only offering leather as a sustainable source for all kinds of products but also by taking care of our planet and of the next generations of people that will be living here.
