Academy

 

In line with the AQC's mission, the content of our work is developed and shared transparently with all players in the watchmaking and leather sectors. Our main communication channels are the organisation of and participation in events, our This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., our LinkedIn page and the press.

 

Here you will find articles published over the last few years. To consult them, simply click on the respective links.

 

We hope you enjoy reading

 

2025

• ILM: "AQC Multistakeholder Meeting 2024"
• European Livestock Voice: "NLCA: The environmental impact of meat and dairy is half of what is calculated so far"

 2024

• The Guardian: "Trade can help protect species"
• The Luxury Journals: "Les fabricants de bracelets de montre en cuir s'unissent pour la durabilité"
• Swiss KnowHow: "Un soutien précieux dans la gestion de la conformité chimique des matériaux"
• ILM: "AQC presents laboratory working group results"

2023

• The Luxury Journals: "Quand cuir exotique rime avec éthique"
• The Luxury Journals: "When exotic leather means ethics"
• ILM: "Making chromium detection easier"
• Europa Star: "Leather Straps. When competitors become partners"
• Swiss KnowHow: "Un test rapide pour déceler la présence de Cr (VI)"

2022 

• ILM: "Cr(VI) Storage Stability for Leather Watch Bracelets"

 2021 

• LFD: "Bisphénol, chrome... restrictions à venir pour l'industrie du cuir"

AMERCIAN ALLIGATOR

AQC members' alligator bracelets are made exclusively from Alligator mississippiensis, commonly known as the “American alligator”, because it is native to the United States. The skins used to make the bracelets come mainly from Louisiana, but also from Georgia, Texas and Florida in smaller quantities.

 

CITES

In 1979, CITES listed the Alligator mississippiensis in Appendix II, authorising its worldwide trade under strict regulations. American alligators are still listed on Appendix II because of their similarity to other endangered or threatened crocodilian species. Thanks to the universal CITES marking rule, American alligators are recognised as one of the most traceable species.

 

The mapping of the supply chain of AQC Members identifies the 15 alligator farms supplying the skins used for the bracelets. 100% of these farms are certified, mostly by ICFA and also by SRCP. It is important to note that both certifications guarantee that the slaughter of reptiles complies with Chapter 7.14 ‘Killing of reptiles for their skin, meat and other products’ of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

 

2 MILLION IN THE WILD

 

Whereas in the 1960s, American alligators were threatened by unregulated hunting, today the population has fully recovered. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) reports that Louisiana's wild alligator population has grown to more than 2 million over the past 50 years. There are also nearly one million alligators on Louisiana farms’. In addition, the LDWF ‘strictly manages the American alligator as a commercial and renewable natural resource’. The American alligator is not only a resource for its skin, but also for its meat, which is sold in supermarkets. It should also be noted that the pharmaceutical industry uses various parts of the animal after slaughter, including the bones.

 

The alligator industry, which includes farmers, landowners, tanners, traders, manufacturers, brands and retail shops, accounts for almost 25'000 jobs in Louisiana in areas with difficult social situations.

 

Data and further information can be found here & here. 

 

WETLANDS: A CRUCIAL ROLE

 

85% of Louisiana's wetlands are privately owned. Due to the high number of hurricanes that cause erosion, disrupt water flow and ultimately threaten habitats, landowners depend on their income to keep their land in its most natural form. Alligator farmers buy alligator eggs from landowners, which provides a direct financial incentive and encourages wetland maintenance and restoration projects.

 

American alligators primarily breed in the wild, not on farms.

 

According to Science and the World Economic Forum, wetlands store 20% of the organic carbon in the world's ecosystems, despite covering only 1% of the earth's surface. ‘However, the capacity of wetlands to store carbon depends on feedbacks between vegetation and geomorphology that allow wetlands to continue to develop over long periods. When these feedbacks are interrupted, wetlands can become sources of carbon’.

 

Link to Science

Link to World Economic Forum

 
IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature

IUCN letter to luxury CEOs: ‘The benefits that the trade in precious and exotic skins brings to nature and people, and to the adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, are supported by scientific evidence. This trade is one of the great conservation success stories of our time. Species that were once close to extinction have recovered and are now the subject of meticulous management.'

 

Link to letter

 

IUCN Redlist

 

Alligator mississippiensis: minor concern = neither endangered nor threatened

 

THE END OF THE CALIFORNIA BAN

• AQC Slides here
• AQC Newsletter here

The International Crocodilian Farmers’ Association (ICFA) is a not-for-profit association, created to develop and improve crocodilian farming practices; with respect for animal welfare, the environment, people and local communities. It is through this approach that farmers with common objectives are united.

 

Link to website here

 

ICFA REPORT: Download here

 

To read in the report:

• ICFA wants to demonstrate that it is possible to breed crocodilians in a way that respects the animals and animal welfare requirements.
  
  
• The farms were created in response to the risk of extinction of endangered wild animals in the 1970s.
  
  
• They are located in areas where crocodilians live, the bayous (wetlands). As the breeding model is based on collecting eggs from the wild, environmental protection is an obvious requirement.
  
  
• According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries (LDWF), wetlands play a crucial role in combating global warming and preserving biodiversity.
  
  
• Carbon sequestration: They cover 1% of the oceans but provide 50% of marine carbon sequestration. One hectare of seagrass stores twice as much carbon as a forest.
  
  
• Biodiversity: In the United States, they are home to around 8'000 plant and animal species.
  
  
• Benefits of crocodilians: Meat rich in omega-3, low in fat, rich in fibre and protein. Their skin and medical applications (HIV, oncology, asthma, cosmetics). 
  
  
• The social issue: 25'000 jobs in Louisiana in areas with difficult social situations.     

The SRCP - Standard for Responsible Crocodilian Production, is currently owned by the LVMH Group and was co-developed in 2018 with scientific experts and local stakeholders, including veterinarians, farmers, and standard setting organisations.

 

Managed by independent third parties, the SRCP has become a recognised standard against which alligator and crocodile farms supplying the LVMH-Group owned exotic leather tanneries are required to be certified.

 

This ensures that the farms supplying the Group and the exotic leather industry, including the watch bracelet sector, respect science-based animal welfare adapted to the species, its conservation, social responsibility on-farm and within the farms’ surrounding communities, biosecurity, and the environment.

 

Since 2020, 100% of the group-owned exotic tanneries procure crocodilian skins from SRCP certified farms. 

 

 

LEATHER TRACEABILITY CLUSTER

 

AQC is a member of the Leather Traceability Cluster as a certification expert. For alligator leather, traceability is guaranteed by the CITES tag.  

 

COTANCE LinkedIn publication, February 2025:

“The Leather Traceability Cluster (LTC) has officially endorsed the essential traceability requirements developed by ICEC, Sustainable Leather Foundation, OEKO-TEX®, and Leather Working Group - a milestone in ensuring transparency and accountability in the leather supply chain.

 

This draft standard establishes common traceability requirements and verification elements, creating a tool for industry-wide certification.

Following the formal voting procedure outlined in the LTC Terms of Reference (Section 5), it has now been adopted by the members of the Leather Traceability Cluster and will move forward through the fast-track CEN standardisation process. 

 

Since its launch in 2022, the LTC has held 24 meetings, fostering unprecedented collaboration among industry stakeholders to align on minimum requirements for traceability and verification—paving the way for a stronger, more sustainable leather sector.”

 

LEATHER BIODEGRADABILITY 

 

COTANCE Newsletter, January 2025:

"When produced using natural or biobased tanning agents and biodegradable additives, leather can decompose in industrial composting in as little as 20 days (as highlighted in Karl Flowers’ article, “Opportunities at Leather’s End-of-Life,” ILM, Sep-Oct 2024). That’s a timeframe comparable to vegetable waste, which takes 5–30 days!

 

Let’s be clear: all materials eventually biodegrade, but what sets leather apart is its ability to decompose quickly (20–60 days) and safely for the environment, transforming—under the right conditions—into compost that enriches the soil with vital nutrients. 

 

This unique feature makes leather not only a valuable part of the circular economy, but also one of the most sustainable fashion materials."

 

WHEN HIDES ARE NOT USED

 

COTANCE LinkedIn publication, November 2024:

"If skins are not turned into leather, they end up in landfill sites, where they rot naturally. Many people are unaware that the decomposition of animal matter produces greenhouse gases. Similarly, unwanted skins left to rot on landfill sites produce these emissions. Worldwide, up to 40% of cattle hides, or 134 million hides a year, are lost.

 

We in the leather industry know that this is a sad waste of natural and renewable resources and has a significant impact on the environment. However, the latest analysis by the LHCA (Leather and Hide Council of America) shows that the impact is much greater than previously thought. We had underestimated this figure by a factor of 8!

 

Using the ReFED impact calculator, the LHCA found that one tonne of hides in a landfill generates more than 13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. On a global scale, discarded hides thus contribute to more than 40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions each year."

 

To put this into perspective:

• The equivalent of the annual emissions from 8.7 million cars.
• Comparable to the CO₂ absorbed by 660 million trees in 10 years.
• Comparable to feeding 5 million homes for a year.

But the story doesn't end here:

 

By processing the 334 million hides produced annually worldwide and sustainably storing the CO₂ in the leather, we could avoid some 100 million tonnes of CO₂e per year, generating just 13.3* million tonnes of CO₂e emissions (*using the average Eco2L/GreenDeal value for cattle leather).

 

In addition, all the leather grains and rinds produced could replace up to 3 billion m² of fossil fuel-based fashion materials, which also contribute to climate change. Turning hides into leather is part of the solution in the fight against climate change."

 

Link to article

 

Higg MSI update 

 

LWG publication, October 2024:

"Leather Working Group (LWG) and Leather Naturally announce that a combined data submission by SPIN360 from their respective Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies has been adopted as the new average for bovine leather by the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI).

 

The new dataset, included in the October 2024 update of the Higg MSI, results in the environmental impacts of bovine leather being between 55% and 67% lower than the previous MSI value for leather. The global warming potential, which previously showed an impact of 36.8 points on the Higg MSI scale, is reduced by 60% to 14.6 points. This significant change helps to move things forward, promoting a more nuanced understanding of bovine leather as a sustainable material choice.

 

This global effort was led by SPIN360, which used data collected from 45 manufacturing plants in 18 countries and evaluated 92 leather products with the aim of providing a global representation of bovine leather. It covers the main end-use sectors for leather, including footwear, automotive, leather goods and furniture."

 

 

Leather Naturally is the global voice of the leather industry. The organisation promotes responsibly produced leather and provides reliable information to consumers, designers and brands.

 

As a member of Leather Naturally, AQC shares a link to their fact sheets which answer key questions and provide an overview of the leather industry. Click here