Adidas imposes tough leather sourcing rules

GERMANY: Adidas imposes tough leather sourcing rules

By just-style.com | 29 July 2009

Sportswear giant Adidas has responded to Greenpeace claims connecting the sourcing of leather with rainforest destruction by unveiling a set of stringent supplier requirements.

Mirroring an announcement made by rival Nike last week, the German company said it had asked its Brazilian suppliers to put in place a system to prove that all leather is sourced from cattle outside the Amazon Biome by 1 July next year.

In addition, it said it expected suppliers only to source cattle from legal farms in the area; only to source hides from cattle raised outside the Amazon Biome; and not to source hides from cattle farmed on land disputed by indigenous groups.

The company said it also expected suppliers to source cattle from farms signed up to Brazil's National Pact on the Eradication of Slave Labour, supported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Any suppliers listed by Brazil's Ministry of Labour and Employment as being involved with employing slave labour on farms would be suspended immediately, Adidas said.

To implement these objectives, Adidas said it was working within the Leather Working Group (LWG) to develop a traceability protocol, which would then be a condition of supplying leather to the company.

"We agree with and share Greenpeace's concerns regarding the environmental impact of illegal deforestation of Amazon rain forest and the subsequent effects on biodiversity and climate change," said Adidas.

"We are requiring our leather suppliers sourcing rawhides from Brazil to take a proactive stance in supporting effective measures that help tackle climate change, protect the environment and protect the indigenous people in the region."

Sectors: Apparel, Footwear, Manufacturing

Companies: Adidas, Nike