From: Drapers
Footwear giants Clarks, Adidas, Nike and Timberland are demanding assurances from their leather suppliers in Brazil that their production is not destroying the Amazon rainforest.
According to a report in The Guardian newspaper this morning, the footwear companies have demanded an immediate moratorium on the destruction of the the Amazon rainforest from their suppliers and will refuse to buy any leather that is sourced from cattle farms on both legally and illegally deforested land.
The action follows an investigation by Greenpeace in June, which found that Brazilian suppliers of leather destined for sale in the UK had bought cattle from farms that were involved in illegal deforestation. Cattle farming is thought to be the biggest threat left to the Amazon rainforest.
The footwear companies have also demanded that their Brazilian suppliers introduce a system within 12 months to enable them to trace the leather right to its source.
Clarks is reported to have said in a statement: “Clarks will require suppliers of Brazilian leather to certify, in writing, that they are not supplying leather from recently deforested areas in the Amazon biome.”
Timberland added: “We are grateful for the work of NGOs such as Greenpeace in exposing problems deep within the Brazilian leather supply chain.”