SGS is pleased to announce it has joined the Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) as a Contributing Partner.
The SLF, an industry led and consumer focused organization, addresses the responsibilities of the leather industry towards a sustainable future. Its visionary Transparency Dashboard™ is linked to a certification standard and assesses the compliance and performance of leather manufacturers and associated facilities.
In its partnership role SGS will actively support leather manufacturers, working with the Foundation alongside Compliance Partners, who directly impact leather manufacturing, and Licensed Partners, comprised of brands, retailers and OEMs.
Paul Bridge, Deputy VP Softlines – Head of Footwear Services, SGS said: "We are delighted to become a Contributing Partner to the SLF, an organization which is passionate in its ambition to provide a transparent, inclusive and holistic approach to sustainability across the leather industry.
"As sustainability leaders, our purpose is to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world for all stakeholders, and we welcome the opportunity this partnership provides to steer the industry on its own sustainability journey."
SGS has been recognized as a Leader in Sustainability for eight successive years in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) World and Europe. The DJSI is a globally recognized, independent benchmark that measures proven company performance across material economic, environmental and social criteria.
SGS's own corporate Sustainability Ambitions 2030 set the roadmap and continue to raise the bar of its sustainability performance. It seeks to generate a positive impact in three different areas: a better planet, a better society, and better governance.
Deborah Taylor, Managing Director of SLF said: "For us at SLF, having this commitment from SGS through their partnership proves that we are on the right path for providing a sustainable future for the leather industry.
"As a new Foundation, still in our first full partnership year, to be able to work with industry experts and specialists at SGS is a significant step in the right direction. We have the vision of how to provide a true value-added service, but we realize that vision requires support and access to global knowledge and infrastructure. Not only has SGS supported us through partnership, but the company is also going to be working with us to provide on the ground support for training, testing and auditing around the world. We are thrilled to be working closely with them."
SLF's Transparency Dashboard™ and Accessible, Inclusive, Modular (A.I.M.) approach to certification is the first of its kind in the industry. The system alleviates duplication of effort by first recognizing any existing certifications and mapping them onto the Dashboard before then evaluating any gaps in performance or certification.
This equitable and accessible model gives brands and other value chain customers a real methodology for creating strong partnerships with their suppliers which in turn provides verifiable, credible information for consumers to instill trust and confidence in their purchasing decisions.
For further information, please contact:
Keith Tsang
Senior Service Development Manager
Connectivity & Products
t: +852 2204 8354
About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 93,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.
