Introduction
In front of you is our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Report covering 2021. Indeed, a new title, in line with what the market as a whole is adopting and more comprehensive on our achievements and actions. At the same time, it is a logical continuation of what we have been reporting over the past years, true to our strategy to “Create a Socially and Environmentally Sustainable Leather Value Chain”.
The COVID-19 health crisis has now been with us for almost two years and increasingly we have found ways to adapt our business to new realities and ways of working. During 2021 the global leather market situation was further impacted by unprecedented shortages and cost increases for chemical raw materials, logistics and energy. Moreover, the consumer demand for alternate materials and a move away from leather became more prominent; whether based on true facts or trends and sentiment needs to be proven. In essence leather, a by-product of the food and dairy industry, from bio-based origin and circular by design and more durable than alternate materials should be able to take on the fair competition with man-made materials like purpose grown substrates, plastics or plastic composites. Transparency and facts are therefore key and this ESG report is our contribution to this end.
“Create a Socially and Environmentally Sustainable Leather Value Chain.”
In the year that we celebrated our bicentennial as 7th generation family-owned business and received a the “Royal” predicate, we were proud to receive the EcoVadis Gold certification, next to further expansion of the portfolio of Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) level 3 certified products and ISO certification of our production and logistics sites in India and Italy. With commitment and energy, we continued our involvement in key industry networks and organisations, including Leather Working Group, Sustainable Leather Foundation, ZDHC, Leather Naturally/Metcha. For us this is an important way to give input to the industry direction and be connected to key stakeholders in the value chain.
As a solution provider to the industry, we are pleased to receive the positive feedback on our Zeology tanning technology and other new introductions within the remit of our strategy like Titanium dioxide free white pigment, the MicroFresh collaboration and the DesertSpring venture. Please refer to our websites for more solutions and information.
Allow us to close this introduction with an appeal to the whole industry value chain: The future of our industry depends on our ability to convince the end-consumer of the environmental, social and economic competitiveness of leather as a circular material. The technologies exist, no inventions are needed. However, we collectively need to do the right thing and attract the young generation and talent. Doing the right thing means making decisions based on facts, proactively exclude those from our value chain who do not share our values and vision and chose to continue with the practices of the past. Let our ESG report be a contribution to this goal and an inspiration for many.
Hans van Haarst, Marc Smit, Dennis Maas
Board of Management, Royal Smit & Zoon
Allow us to close this introduction with an appeal to the whole industry value chain: The future of our industry depends on our ability to convince the end-consumer of the environmental, social and economic competitiveness of leather as a circular material. The technologies exist, no inventions are needed. However, we collectively need to do the right thing and attract the young generation and talent. Doing the right thing means making decisions based on facts, proactively exclude those from our value chain who do not share our values and vision and chose to continue with the practices of the past. Let our ESG report be a contribution to this goal and an inspiration for many.
Hans van Haarst, Marc Smit, Dennis Maas
Board of Management, Royal Smit & Zoon
As a solution provider to the industry, we are pleased to receive the positive feedback on our Zeology tanning technology and other new introductions within the remit of our strategy like Titanium dioxide free white pigment, the MicroFresh collaboration and the DesertSpring venture. Please refer to our websites for more solutions and information.
In the year that we celebrated our bicentennial as 7th generation family-owned business and received a the “Royal” predicate, we were proud to receive the EcoVadis Gold certification, next to further expansion of the portfolio of Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) level 3 certified products and ISO certification of our production and logistics sites in India and Italy. With commitment and energy, we continued our involvement in key industry networks and organisations, including Leather Working Group, Sustainable Leather Foundation, ZDHC, Leather Naturally/Metcha. For us this is an important way to give input to the industry direction and be connected to key stakeholders in the value chain.
“Create a Socially and Environmentally Sustainable Leather Value Chain.”
The COVID-19 health crisis has now been with us for almost two years and increasingly we have found ways to adapt our business to new realities and ways of working. During 2021 the global leather market situation was further impacted by unprecedented shortages and cost increases for chemical raw materials, logistics and energy. Moreover, the consumer demand for alternate materials and a move away from leather became more prominent; whether based on true facts or trends and sentiment needs to be proven. In essence leather, a by-product of the food and dairy industry, from bio-based origin and circular by design and more durable than alternate materials should be able to take on the fair competition with man-made materials like purpose grown substrates, plastics or plastic composites. Transparency and facts are therefore key and this ESG report is our contribution to this end.
In front of you is our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Report covering 2021. Indeed, a new title, in line with what the market as a whole is adopting and more comprehensive on our achievements and actions. At the same time, it is a logical continuation of what we have been reporting over the past years, true to our strategy to “Create a Socially and Environmentally Sustainable Leather Value Chain”.