SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, is delighted to announce it has joined the Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) as a Contributing Partner.
As an industry led and consumer focused organization, the SLF addresses the responsibilities of the leather industry towards a sustainable future.
At its heart is its visionary Transparency Dashboard™ which, linked to a certification standard, assesses the compliance and performance of leather manufacturers and associated facilities.
Paul Bridge, Deputy VP Softlines – Head of Footwear Services, SGS said “We are delighted to become a Contributing Partner to the SLF, an organization which is passionate in its ambition to provide a transparent, inclusive and holistic approach to sustainability across the leather industry.
“As sustainability leaders, our purpose is to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world for all stakeholders, and we welcome the opportunity this partnership provides to guide the industry on its own sustainability journey.”
In the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) World and Europe, SGS has been recognized as a Leader in Sustainability for eight successive years. The DJSI is a globally recognized, independent benchmark that measures proven company performance across material economic, environmental and social criteria.
SGS’s corporate Sustainability Ambitions 2030 set the roadmap for SGS to continue to raise the bar of its sustainability performance. It seeks to generate a positive impact in three different areas: a better planet, a better society, and better governance.
Deborah Taylor, Managing Director of SLF said: “For us at SLF, having this commitment from SGS through their partnership proves that we are on the right path for providing a sustainable future for the leather industry.
“As a new Foundation, still in our first full partnership year, to be able to work with industry experts and specialists at SGS is a significant step in the right direction. We have the vision of how to provide a true value-added service, but we realize that vision requires support and access to global knowledge and infrastructure. Not only has SGS supported us through partnership, but the company is also going to be working with us to provide on the ground support for training, testing and auditing around the world. We are thrilled to be working closely with them.”
SLF’s Transparency Dashboard™ and Accessible, Inclusive, Modular (A.I.M.) approach to certification is the first of its kind in the industry. The system alleviates duplication of effort by first recognizing any existing certifications and mapping them onto the Dashboard before then evaluating any gaps in performance or certification.
SGS services
With a global network of consumer product experts and testing facilities, SGS offers a comprehensive range of services across the entire footwear and leather supply chain:
- Footwear and leather product testing
- ECOSECURE product mark certification for footwear and leather products
- Mold prevention solution
- Fitting and sizing services
- Safety footwear certification
- Technical consultancy
- Inspection
- Government mandated pre-shipment inspection (PSI) for selected emerging markets
- Social responsibility solutions
- Systems and services certification
- Carbon and energy efficiency solutions
- Technical audit of footwear factories and leather tanneries
For further information, please contact:
Keith Tsang
Senior Service Development Manager
Connectivity & Products, SGS
Email: cp.media@sgs.com
About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 93,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.