I have recently returned from the ACLE in Shanghai and whether or not business was conducted and how much depended on who you were talking to. The fair is a good size, has lots of visitors and is well organised but leather trade has its ups and downs as everyone knows.

There can be no doubt that environmental issues are a hot topic currently.Shortly after Xu Yong,CLIA honorary chairman,announced that the target for cutting the total discharge of major pollutants under the eleventh five-year plan for Chinese industry had been set at 10%,it was reported that the head of EPA (the special Anti Pollution Police) in Wenzhou had been arrested for turning a blind eye on illegal discharge.

I hate politics but there is no avoiding the fact that they affect all aspects of life and trade in one way or another. Take the US beef export situation. US politicians are currently trying to get a resumption of unrestricted beef exports into South Korea. If South Korea refuses to play ball, the proposed free trade agreement will not be put forward to Congress.

At about the same time that Alois G Püntener was delivering his address to the IULTCS Congress on the challenge of REACH for chemicals and also leather imports into the European community, the proposals became law. This was a year and a few days later than originally anticipated.

This month we are focusing once more on India as the country sets itself an incredible target of 20% annual growth to the year 2010 when it hopes to achieve US$7 billion in leather and related exports against a current projected level of $3 billion and a growth rate for 2006/7 of 9.24%.

When attempting to gauge the success or otherwise of the latest Tanning Tech in Bologna it is first necessary to put the various exhibitions into context. Traditionally Tanning Tech has been held alongside the autumn edition of Lineapelle which is by far the bigger of the two biannual events. The two shows combined led to a full fairground with gridlocked car parks, traffic jams, long taxi queues and a shortage of hotel accommodation.

While studying psychology I was told that Charles Darwin's assertion that it was the survival of the fittest was untrue and that those who survive are those who are able to adapt to changing circumstances and environment.

A recent edition of la conceria, the Italian tanners' magazine, asks the question: What is the strategy of the giant chemicals plants when it comes to trade fairs? Their answer is: 'Simple: don't do them. Tanning Tech has been abandoned. The only fairs that are interesting (and then only a little) are those in Asia, as long as they are classed as regional.'

Normally at this time of year, we would just have arrived back from Tanning Tech in Bologna, Italy. News from the recent edition of Lineapelle suggests that visitor numbers were well down from last October. One visitor writes: 'If you were there, you'd have seen a Tuesday morning with empty halls. Wednesday saw a reasonable amount of visitors but far below last year's figures. Nevertheless this is still a hugely important fair.'

Normally at this time of year, we would just have arrived back from Tanning Tech in Bologna, Italy. News from the recent edition of Lineapelle suggests that visitor numbers were well down from last October. One visitor writes: 'If you were there, you'd have seen a Tuesday morning with empty halls. Wednesday saw a reasonable amount of visitors but far below last year's figures. Nevertheless this is still a hugely important fair.'

September was a busy month, kicking off with another successful and growing edition of the All China Leather Fair in Shanghai, which was itself preceded by the 25th International Footwear Conference, held for the first time this year in China.

Italian Tanners' Association UNIC, at their general meeting on June 16 in Viareggio had to face the unpalletable fact that in 2005 Italian tanners lost 3.1% of their revenue and 2% of production volume. This was partly due to the strong euro. However, according to the meeting the market is recovering and investments are no longer being postponed. The mood was for members to come together to take steps forward.

News from around the world is as much coloured by the onset of the new Chinese import regulations as it is by the anti-dumping measures being levied by the EU against footwear from China and Vietnam. Many have expressed their disquiet about the import tariffs which are being introduced on a sliding scale and which will, ultimately, hit the people who can least afford it: the poorly paid workers in China and Vietnam.