Corporate social responsibility and the carbon footprint of leather

From an environmental standpoint the leather industry is an easy target for the thoughtless or prejudiced observer. With the terminology of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and in particular of carbon footprinting frequently abused and rarely clearly defined it is hard for the impartial observer to get a clear understanding of the scientific facts. This paper looks at carbon footprinting in particular and CSR in general and relates them to the specifics of the leather industry. Based on a study of current literature and knowledge it demonstrates that leather can be proud of its credentials and the attacks made on it in these regards are unfounded.