The 2016 All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) is in full swing at the at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) and there is a undeniable buzz − from the main entrance to each of the hangar-sized halls − that despite a dark cloud hanging over the leather industry, and the Chinese economy, there are plenty of reasons to invest in the future of leather here.
The fair kicked off with a press conference, where APLF director Michael Duck emphasised the fair's prominence in the industry and its ability to put on a complete and integrated event designed to serve the needs of China's dynamic leather industry under one roof (or many in this case).
Lanxess VP and IULTCS president Dietrich Tegtmeyer also gave a presentation on the aims and activities of Tegewa, a Germany-based association of chemical suppliers in northern Europe, and Leather Naturally's Mike Redwood spoke about, among other things, engaging with NGOs to help disseminate accurate, factual information about the leather industry in order to better educate consumers.
CLIA's outgoing chairman Su Chaoying also gave a brief overview of China's leather industry, including the fact that China's SMEs produced 2.16 billion pairs of leather shoes in H1 of 2016, a year-on-year rise of 1%.
After lunch on day 1, APLF and Hidenet Publications had its conference on the state of China's leather industry, hosting an illustrious panel including Prime Asia's Jon Clark, ICT's Richard Pai and Stahl's Mark Chatwood to help inform the sector of what is happening among China's tanners.
Look for more updates from the ground here at ACLE shortly.
