Your 5-Minute Brief on This Week's Global Leather & Allied Industry News

Good morning and welcome to the 112th edition of The Weekly Roundup Newsletter by Leathernews.org

Every Sunday at 11 am, we bring you the entire week's most important news, insights, trade data and developments from the global leather and allied industries in a simple, easy to read format, helping you stay informed in under 5 minutes.

Brazil Leather Exports Rise 12.1% to $93.4 Million in June 2026

In terms of volume, exports reached 14.6 million square metres and 49.8 thousand tonnes during the month.

French Leather Industry Exports Fall 2.8% to €6.13 Billion While Imports Decline 6.6% in January to April 2026

Total exports declined 2.8% to €6.13 billion, while imports fell 6.6% to €4.13 billion. Despite lower trade activity, the industry’s trade surplus improved to €1.99 billion, according to Alliance France Cuir.

UNIC Presents Training Strategies and Initiatives to Italian Education Minister to Strengthen School-Industry Links

UNIC – Concerie Italiane met with Italy’s Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara, on July 22 to discuss training strategies, education initiatives and ways to strengthen collaboration between schools and businesses to support the leather industry.

Tanzania Hides and Skins Production Value Falls 23.5% in Q1 2026

The sector’s production value stood at 2.77 billion Tanzanian Shillings (~$1.05 million) in March 2026, down from 3.61 billion Tanzanian Shillings (~$1.37 million) in December

China Reports 4% Decline in Bags and Cases Exports to $9.55 Billion in January-April 2026

Meanwhile, imports of bags and cases reached $1.98 billion during the January-April period, representing an 18.6% year-on-year increase.

SADC Member States Reaffirm Commitment to Strengthen Regional Leather Value Chain

16 Member States of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the regional leather value chain during the 2nd SADC Regional Leather Forum held in Durban, South Africa, from July 23 to 24, 2026.

Andhra Pradesh Govt to Set Up 2 Leather Units to Boost Employment for Leather Artisans

The Andhra Pradesh government has announced plans to establish 2 leather units in Markapur and Krishna districts as part of its efforts to strengthen the livelihoods of traditional leather artisans.

China Footwear Exports Fall 10.3% to $12.33 Billion in January to April 2026

Leather shoe imports totalled 12.99 million pairs valued at $690 million. Compared to the same period of 2025, import quantity fell 17.4%, while import value declined 2.3%.

Pedro Vives Appointed President of FUTURMODA

Pedro Vives has been appointed as the new president of FUTURMODA, taking over from José Antonio Ibarra after 8 years and 16 editions leading the trade fair. The leadership change comes ahead of FUTURMODA 56, which will be held on October 14 and 15, 2026, at IFA Elche.

Leather News Launches WhatsApp Community for Global Leather Industry Professionals

We have launched a WhatsApp Community to help global leather and allied industry professionals receive daily industry news, insights, market updates, and trade data in real time.

It adds a real-time layer to Leather News, allowing important industry news and updates to reach you directly as they happen.

*Privacy Note: Your WhatsApp number will be hidden from other members & visible only to community admins.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Arshad is the Founder & Editor of Leathernews.org, a digital publication established in 2024 that covers news, updates and developments across the global leather & allied industries every day. He is also an engineer specializing in Leather Technology from the Department of Leather Technology, Anna University, housed at CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI) and currently serves as the Interim Secretary of the A C TECH Association of Leather & Footwear Alumni (ALFA).

He closely tracks trade policy, exports, global sourcing trends and industry developments, with a focus on making complex topics simple, clear and easy to understand for industry professionals.

In 2025, Leathernews.org generated over 2.52 million views across its website, LinkedIn and newsletter and has built a community of more than 17,000 followers on LinkedIn. Its top six readership comes from India, China, USA, France, Italy and Brazil (as of July 2026).

Leathernews.org is an Associate Member of Leather Naturally.