Cotance’s general meeting took place at the same time as Lineapelle, on September 24th. The European Confederation of the Leather Industry nominated Manuel Ríos Navarro, owner of Spanish group Inpelsa, as its new president. He takes over from Andreas Kindermann (Wollsdorf), whom will remain vice-president.
Ríos’ plan
“We are doing great work in Cotance – explains Ríos, in the first interview after being nominated president of the association -. We come from a hard period due to Covid-19, but we see the light and 2022 must be the year we return to normality”. What will the priorities be? “First of all, to really communicate what the tanning industry is – he says -, show that the segment is as sustainable as can be, recovers a byproduct of the meat industry and gives it back value and nobility in the form of a new material”. The dialogue has to do with brands as much as the general public: “There were many campaigns against leather, we don’t plan on attacking anybody because it has nothing to do with being against something for no reason, but it’s all about showing everybody how clean and transparent we are”.
Brussels and certifications
Cotance will need to continue to represent the segment in Brussels, and so the dialogue with the Union’s institutions will continue. “Starting with topics such as carbon footprint – continues Ríos -, for which we believe we have nothing to do”. Another focus point will be that of certifications: “Uniformity is more important than ever now: too many entities existed as of a few years ago, while the market now is focusing on few, but solid reference entities”.
In photo, Ríos. In the small picture (from the left) Ríos with Kindermann, Fabrizio Nuti (president of UNIC – Italian Tanneries) and Rino Mastrotto (Rino Mastrotto Group and vicepresident of Cotance)
Read also:
- “Tanning accepts competition, not denigration”
- Eco alternatives are no better than leather: and science says so
- COTANCE celebrates a small (but important) victory for leather
