India Exported $458.8 Million Worth of Finished Leather in FY 2023–24 & Conceria Pasubio Acquires Conceria Antiba

Ecco Leather Tannery in Dongen Burnt Down Overnight in Massive Fire & more

Good morning & Welcome to our weekly newsletter! Here, we bring you the entire week's news, insights, market research, analysis, expert insights & facts from the global "leather, footwear, and leather goods" industry.

In a simplified and easy-to-understand manner, saving you time while keeping you informed & updated under 5 minutes every Sunday at 11am.

In case you missed it, here’s a look at what happened in the Global Leather, Footwear & Leather Goods Industry last week.

LEATHER INDUSTRY NEWS

Pasubio, known for luxury car leather, just acquired SK!N (€3M revenue in 2024) and Antiba (€57M revenue in 2024) to expand into fashion. Backed by PAI Partners, they are eyeing 20+ more deals in Tuscany.

A huge fire broke out last Sunday night at Ecco Leather's 14,000 sq.m Tannery in Dongen. No injuries, but the entire building was lost, along with chemicals and 5,000 solar panels. Officials are now assessing the environmental impact.

Paycueros in Uruguay laid off 50 workers, breaking promises to delay. 130 more were placed on unemployment, sparking a rotating strike with no end date. Tensions rise as unions demand action and a rally is planned this week.

“In a historic milestone, India and the UK have successfully concluded an ambitious and mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement, along with a Double Contribution Convention. These landmark agreements will further deepen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and catalyse trade, investment, growth, job creation, and innovation in both our economies.”

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, Government of India

Zimbabwe Seeks Chinese Partnerships to Rebuild Its Leather Industry

Zimbabwe is partnering with China to revive its leather sector boosting quality, exports & value chains. With rich hides, skilled workers & handcrafted goods, it’s betting big on trade, tech, and tradition.

Italy’s UNIC is building a digital tool to help leather companies comply with the 2026 EU deforestation rules. From smart reports to satellite checks, this platform could shape the industry’s future compliance standards.

The Vitelco tannery in Lichtenvoorde will shut down as the site is sold for housing. PALI Group will still sell hides in all forms and keep its traceability system running cementing its role in global leather.

TFL begins its second term on the Leather Working Group’s Board, now represented by Dr. Volker Rabe an expert in leather chemistry and sustainability. He brings over a decade of R&D experience to drive greener leather solutions.

FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY NEWS

Nike, Adidas & 74 others urged the US to drop harsh tariffs on shoes, warning some firms may face 150%-220% total duties. Many can’t pass on the cost, risking shutdowns & job losses. FDRA says these tariffs won’t revive US shoe manufacturing.

LEATHER GOODS INDUSTRY NEWS

Tapestry Inc. posted a 7% revenue increase for Q3 FY2025, reaching $1.6 billion. Coach led the charge with a 13% sales jump, while North America saw over 1.2M new Gen Z and Millennial customers. Full-year outlook raised with a forecast of $6.95 Billion in revenue.

EXPERT INSIGHTS

Discover how AI and automation are transforming the leather industry, improving efficiency, reducing waste and creating new opportunities without replacing skilled workers.

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

India Exported $458.8 Million Worth of Finished Leather in FY 2023–24

Here’s the Full Breakdown by Leather Type, Export Volume, % Share & Avg Price per Sq Ft

Following up on my recent posts about region wise & state wise leather export data from India for FY 2023-24

Today I am diving deeper into one specific sector that forms the foundation of our entire leather industry & that is the finished leather exports.

As I have shared before, our total leather industry exports reached $4.69 billion in FY 2023-24.

Within this, the finished leather sector contributed $458.8 Million (9.78% of total exports) with 435.14 million square feet exported.

Let's break down this finished leather sector by raw material type:

[1] Buff Leather

Quantity exported - 257.87 million sq ft

Value - $190.8 Million

% Share - 41.58%

Avg price per sq ft - $0.74

[2] Goat Leather

Quantity exported - 60.17 million sq ft

Value - $89.4 Million

% Share - 19.48%

Avg Price per sq ft - $1.48

[3] Sheep Leather

Quantity exported - 39.80 million sq ft

Value - $62.3 Million

% Share - 13.57%

Avg Price per sq ft - $1.56

[4] Cow Leather 

Quantity exported - 37.17 million sq ft

Value - $60.4 Million

% Share - 13.16%

Avg price per sq ft - $1.62

[5] Upholstery Leather  

Quantity exported - 20.36 million sq ft

Value - $19.1 Million

% Share - 4.17%

Avg price per sq ft - $0.93

[6] Buff Calf Leather  

Quantity exported - 6.19 million sq ft

Value - $14.9 Million

% Share - 3.24%

Avg price per sq ft - $2.42

[7] Cow Calf Leather  

Quantity exported - 4.91 million sq ft

Value - $11.3 Million

% Share - 2.46%

Avg price per sq ft - $2.24

[8] Others (Leather)

Quantity exported - 7.50 million sq ft

Value - $9.1 Million

% Share - 1.98%

Avg price per sq ft - $1.20

[9] Industrial Leather

Quantity exported - 1.13 million sq ft

Value - $1.6 Million

% Share - 0.35%

Avg price per square foot - $1.42

[10] Sole Leather  

Quantity exported - 48,000 sq ft

Value - $920,000

% Share - 0.02%

Avg price per square foot - $19.16

Whats interesting is how buff leather dominates our finished leather exports, accounting for over 41% of the sector

Together with goat leather, these two categories make up more than 60% of our finished leather exports.

It's also interesting to note the price differences while buffalo leather leads in volume & total value, it has one of the lowest average prices per square foot at just $0.74

Compare this to Buff Calf Leather at $2.42 per square foot or Cow Calf Leather at $2.24

Just two raw material types generate over 60% of our finished leather export value.

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Written & Published by Arshad | Leathernews.org

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