- A leaked draft document suggests the European Commission will remove leather from the EU Deforestation Regulation, despite internal findings linking it to deforestation.
- The commission cites “supply chain considerations and load on the information system” as justifications for exempting leather from the list of deforestation-risk commodities.
- The adoption of a proposed delegated act is expected in the “next weeks,” according to the European Commission; it’s still subject to scrutiny by the European Parliament and Council of the European Union, which would have two months to object or change the proposal.
- Environmental groups believe the move reflects strong industry lobbying and contradicts evidence linking cattle and leather supply chains to forest loss.
The European Commission is taking further steps to formally exempt the global leather trade from its landmark EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), according to a leaked draft obtained by news outlet Euractiv.
The revelation comes just one month after a review of internal documents, first reported by Mongabay, exposed a paradox at the heart of the commission: its own consultants explicitly tied leather to widespread forest destruction, yet commissioners are choosing to ignore the data.
In the leaked draft, later reviewed by Mongabay, the commission acknowledged the relatively low compliance cost of including leather, but said “the supply chain considerations and load on the EUDR Information System … justify the proposed removal.”
The European Commission did not respond to Mongabay’s questions about the document and its authenticity.
The proposal is not yet final. Following a feedback period, concluded on June 1, the formal adoption of the delegated act is expected in “the next weeks,” a European Commission spokesperson told Mongabay, after declining to offer any further comments.
After adoption, the usual path includes the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union having two months to object. If they do not object or propose revisions, the changes will be automatically enacted. This means that unless EU lawmakers stage an unexpected, last-minute revolt, the leather industry’s multibillion-dollar pass on deforestation is poised to be finalized, policy analysts say.
The EUDR — created to force companies selling high-risk commodities such as cattle, soy, and palm oil to prove their supply chains aren’t driving deforestation — is set to take effect at the end of December. The regulations have been under pressure and were previously delayed.
The leaked draft obtained by Euractiv also reveals that the European Commission is willing to expand the EUDR so that it covers other sectors. The draft shows the regulations will likely now cover a wide range of palm-derived oleochemicals used in cosmetics, detergents, and food emulsifiers. The goal, the commission notes, is to ensure “consistency across the oleochemicals supply chain” and prevent companies from shifting deforestation risks downstream.
If confirmed, the commission’s decision seems to exhibit a distinct approach to the concept of “downstream risk” when it comes to palm oil in soap or makeup, but does not seem to follow the same logic for leather seats in an SUV or a designer handbag.
Environmental campaigners pointed to the effectiveness of powerful leather lobbying in Brussels for the exclusion of bovine hides from the list of commodities on Annex I.
“The leather industry has been pushing for leather to be exempt from the EUDR, claiming that it doesn’t drive Amazon deforestation and human rights’ abuses,” said Alex Wijeratna, senior director at U.S-based campaign group Mighty Earth. “That’s entirely false, as the meat industry and the leather trade are inextricably linked; it’s impossible to access the meat without first removing the cowhide.
“The global leather industry is doing everything it can to avoid legal responsibility for the environmental destruction that its supply chains cause,” he added.
Wijeratna was one of the campaigners demonstrating at the entrance of a hotel in London that was hosting one of the main events of the leather sector on June 30. Called Lineapelle London, the trade fair gathers around 50 elite international tanners and materials producers twice a year. The one-day event draws hundreds of luxury designers, automotive stylists, and high-end fashion buyers previewing upcoming seasonal trends.
Inside the upscale Ham Yard Hotel in London’s Soho neighborhood, the atmosphere was optimistic about the future of the industry. Two leather makers who spoke to Mongabay on condition of anonymity said they’re not worried about the EUDR posing any threats to the industry.
“Brussels is doing what Brussels usually does,” a representative of an Italian tannery at the event said. “We are confident that this [the removal of leather from the list of commodities] will be resolved.”
Behind the scenes, the industry has worked hard for this result. Since 2021, leather groups, led by COTANCE and Unione Nazionale Industria Conciaria (UNIC), the Italian tanneries union, have met European lawmakers at least 22 times, according to EU lobbying transparency records aggregated by the nonprofit organization LobbyFacts.
More than a third of those meetings took place in the past year, as the regulation moved closer to implementation. The EUDR was specifically mentioned as a focus of these meetings on 11 occasions, Mongabay reported last month.
Another Lineapelle exhibitor, from a different Italian tannery, said “it’s absurd that people think they should be held responsible for a crisis [deforestation] they did not create.” They added that “leather is naturally sustainable as a recycled material.”
Outside the leather and fashion event, Miki Ng, a researcher and campaigner at environmental campaign group Earthsight, said they’re protesting because consumers want to know that the leather products they buy are not driving the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest.
“Excluding leather from the EUDR ignores the overwhelming evidence that supports regulation and the views of citizens,” she said. “In the commission’s public consultation on the changes to the EUDR, around 81% of EU citizens’ submissions on leather supported keeping it within the scope of the law.
“Make no mistake,” she added, “removing leather from the EUDR doesn’t make deforestation disappear — it simply hides it.”
Banner image: Leather bags in Morocco. Image by Tomasz Anusiewicz via Unsplash.
Cite this article
Elisângela Mendonça (2026). Leaked document shows EU closer to dropping leather from anti-deforestation law. Mongabay Conservation news. DOI: https://doi.org/10.66709/news-322199
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