New EU upholstery leather minimum content Standard from 2012
9 November 2011From 2012 automotive manufacturers selling leather interiors sold in the European Union will only be able to claim it as a fully leather interior if it has a minimum of 80% or more leather content.
The new EU Stanadard (not EU law) comes into force in 2012 and also includes non-auto leather materials such as sofa's and home furniture and interiors. The new Standard replicates the footwear standards adopted by the EU in the past and follows several years of lobbying by Cotance and the European tanning industry along with some chemical suppliers.
The new standard says that OEM's, furniture makers etc must have now have at least 80% of all interior face panels in leather to be called a 'leather interior or article'. Heavily coated PU leathers and splits used in auto and furniture upholstery has to be labelled as 'bonded leather' under the guidelines of the new standard.
Cotance and others hope that the new standard will not be adopted globally.
