Vision, courage and resilience. UNIC – Italian Tanneries held its 80th Annual Assembly on Friday, 12 June, at the Leather Technology Centre (Po.Te.Co.) in Santa Croce sull’Arno. The event marked not only the association’s 80th anniversary, but also the launch of RADICI, a project created to celebrate the organisation’s history since its foundation on 9 April 1946. It also marked the handover between outgoing president Fabrizio Nuti, who has led the association for six years, and newly elected president Alessandro Iliprandi.
In extending his best wishes to his successor, the Tuscan entrepreneur from Nuti Ivo Group reflected on both the challenges and achievements of recent years. Despite a difficult economic environment, the association succeeded in strengthening and protecting the sector while enhancing the international reputation of Italian tanning. Among the most notable achievements were the recent efforts to secure the exclusion of tanning from the EU’s EUDR deforestation regulation and the implementation of Decree No. 68 of 9 June 2020, designed to safeguard the identity of leather products and prevent the misuse of terms relating to leather and hide.
Fabrizio Nuti’s farewell
“These have been six of the most intense, complex and disruptive years of recent decades, and perhaps of the entire 80-year history of our association”, Nuti said during his address. “We have faced a pandemic, an energy crisis, inflation, geopolitical tensions, trade conflicts, tariffs and unpredictable wars. A succession of events that, intertwining with one another, have compressed economic cycles and reshaped global markets, consumer habits, and business, sectoral and supply-chain strategies. During these years, we focused above all on the need to endure, often proceeding through experimentation, structural approaches and new operating models”. The association’s adaptability and ability to respond enabled the sector, even during difficult periods, to strengthen its industrial strategies, sense of identity and reputation at local, national and international level.
The Iliprandi presidency
During the Assembly, Alessandro Iliprandi was elected the new president of UNIC. Iliprandi is CEO of Bonaudo, the group specialising in high-quality leather production for the luxury segment. As the association’s 19th president, he will be supported by vice-presidents Matteo Mastrotto (Rino Mastrotto Group), Fabrizio Nuti (Nuti Ivo Group) and Gianni Russo (Russo di Casandrino). “We can proudly say that we are one of the most sustainable, qualified and advanced supply chains in the world”, said the newly elected president. “We have achieved this because we have always looked ahead with vision, courage and a determination to keep improving. With this spirit, we have built an association that is truly the home of Italian tanners: a place of representation, certainly, but also a practical point of reference offering services, data, research, relationships and protection for the sector”.
New challenges ahead
“Among the priorities of my term will be strengthening collaboration with our customers throughout the supply chain, achieving even more effective representation at European level, and supporting the culture of training and leather craftsmanship, with particular attention to younger generations and the development of skills”, Iliprandi added. Contributions from members of the Board reinforced the new president’s vision. “A long-term perspective, respect and deep knowledge of processes”, suggested Rino Mastrotto (Rino Mastrotto Group). “Engaging younger generations” was highlighted as a priority by former president Gianni Russo (Russo di Casandrino), while Piero Rosati (Conceria INCAS) stressed the importance of “humility and foresight”. Graziano Balducci (Conceria Antiba) emphasised “responsibility towards the environment, local communities and employment”. Giuseppe Valter Peretti (Gruppo Peretti) described sustainability as “a moral obligation”, while Matteo Mastrotto, newly appointed to the Board, placed “service and supply-chain transparency” at the top of his agenda.
Photo: The UNIC Assembly of 12 June
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