UNIC general meeting

The General Meeting of UNIC (Italian National Union for the Tanning Industry) was held on June 16 at the Hotel Palace in Viareggio. The main players in the Italian and European tanning sector were present, alongside a large number of manufacturers in the leather sector and political figures. The President of the Veneto Region, Giancarlo Galan, was expected to attend. According to UNIC, in 2005, the Italian sector ended a long downturn, confirming its international pole position by generating 62% of EU leather turnover and 20% of worldwide leather exports. Almost 2/3 of Italian leather production is exported to a total of 133 countries, while 92% of the sector's raw material requirements come from abroad. Leather (both unprocessed and tanned) is worth US$20 billion. The luxury goods market has taken on particular importance, with 18% of production (24% in terms of value) going to that sector, followed in importance by clothing, footwear, furnishings, car upholstery. The Italian leather sector achieves overall revenues of e4.8 billion, of which 3.2 billion are obtained through exports. Therefore it follows that international variables play a crucial role, and issues such as the strong euro, which is detrimental to exports, and protectionism of unprocessed hides, which UNIC feel prevents free access to resources and gives competitors the advantage, are sure to be hot topics at the meeting. Russia, Argentina, Brazil and India all apply strong restrictions that UNIC has fought against at the WTO and in Brussels, asking above all for reciprocity and the elimination of all customs tariffs. UNIC is at the centre of a series of market activities, which range from trade fairs (Lineapelle and so on) to loans (Confidi), from research to publishing, from certification (ICEC) to environmental impact. Each year, it produces an Environmental Report, which monitors the state of the sector (encompassing 2,300 businesses and 27,000 workers); and analyses its advantages over competitors, such as South America and Asia, where Unic feel are lacking in standards and controls. However, UNIC recognises that China has become the Italian leather industry's top foreign client (over 610 million euros). A Doxa study commissioned by UNIC and the government showed that the western consumer is aware of the eco-compatibility of Italian-produced leather which will soon come with its own 'environmental product statement'.