On March 23, 2024, the China Leather Industry Association organized a carbon emission accounting kickoff and data statistics training meeting for the China leather industry in Jinjiang, Fujian Province. More than 70 representatives from the industry attended the meeting. Chen Zhanguang, vice chairman of China Leather Industry Association, Shi Bi, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor of Sichuan University, Wang Hongtao, professor of Sichuan University and founder of EKE Environmental Technology, and Zeng Yunhang, professor of Sichuan University, respectively, made presentations and reports at the meeting, introduced the purpose and significance of carbon emission data accounting work and the development direction of the leather industry, explained carbon footprint rules in Europe, and guided audiences on how to fill in the data. Huang Yanjie, Deputy Secretary General of China Leather Industry Association, presided over the meeting.

With the deepening of national strategy of "Carbon peak and carbon neutrality", guiding the leather industry to fulfill this task is imperative. It is necessary to establish a carbon emission and carbon footprint accounting and evaluation system in the leather industry. At the same time, the carbon emission accounting work can positively publicize the environmental-friendly nature of leather, especially in coping with the impact of alternative materials and other aspects, providing strong data support. "Carbon peak and carbon neutrality" is the established work content and goal of China's leather industry, not only the requirements of national policies, but also the inevitable path for the leather industry to settle down. In recent years, the whole society, especially brands, has paid more and more attention to the carbon emissions of products. However, there are some problems, such as unreasonable rules and even listing leather as a more environmentally damaging material than synthetic alternatives, which has caused a negative impact on the leather industry and misled the society and consumers' evaluation of the sustainability of leather. According to the development needs of the industry, China Leather Industry Association, together with the Leather and Hide Council of America, as well as two important research institutions in the field of leather carbon accounting in China and the United States, Sichuan University and Colorado State University, jointly carried out the carbon emission data accounting of China's leather industry to provide more scientific data support for the healthy and sustainable development of the industry. The accounting work is scheduled to be completed within 2024.