Effective leather sourcing

First published in May 09

Published: 18 November, 2009

Around 70 delegates, mainly representing leather end-users, attended the half-day Effective Leather Sourcing conference on March 30 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre prior to the APLF. The conference was organised by BLC Leather Technology Centre and aimed to bring the buyers up to speed with the latest products, testing methods and legislation to assist them achieve good leather sourcing practice in the future.

The key speaker was Tony Cotterell, principal of Deloitte Shanghai, who provided an overview of business in China and the current market conditions.
Victoria Addy, BLC technical director, gave delegates an overview of the current legislation regarding restricted substances. Addy looked specifically at lead and phthalates as well as the other most relevant listed restricted substances that need to be monitored. Finally she also used the opportunity to bring the delegates up-to-date following the recent press attention with dimethyl fumarate (see page 26).
Unrelated, but timely, was the presentation from Martin Berman, managing director of Hong Kong based mould prevention specialist, Micro-Pak. Berman demonstrated how his company’s packaging stickers and sheets could be used safely within shipments of leather products such as footwear and leathergoods to prevent mould growth. He also offered delegates advice on how they and their suppliers should manufacture and store their products to minimise mould growth, especially in warm and humid environments.

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