The webinar “La pelle, un materiale unico: caratteristiche, terminologia e trasparenza per il consumatore” was held on 11 March 2021. The online event was the first in a cycle of two organized by UNIDO ITPO Italy in collaboration with Lineapelle, UNIC – Concerie Italiane and The Thinking Watermill Society, promoting a dialogue focused on leather and the sustainability of its industry thanks to the active participation of several public-private experts. 

Moderated by Mr. Mario di Giulio, representative of The Thinking Watermill Society and partner of Pavia e Ansaldo, the webinar opened with the welcome remarks of Ms. Diana Battaggia, Head of UNIDO ITPO Italy, who introduced the activities of UNIDO and of ITPO Italy in the field towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. 

During her intervention Ms. Alessandra Siena, Leather Expert at Lineapelle, explored the history of leather, describing its extraordinary features, raw materials, processing techniques and by-products. The panel was joined by Mr. Luca Boltri, Deputy Head of UNIC - Concerie Italiane, who provided several data and statistics in terms of leather production and distribution in Italy, as well as an overview on the current economic scenario of the national industry and the regulatory framework concerning its proper terminology.

The initiative represented a journey through the world of leather, combining tradition and innovation with an outlook to transparency and sustainability. The latter will be the focus of the second and last episode of the webinar cycle - “La sostenibilità e la tracciabilità nel mondo della pelle” - which will take place on 25 March at 16:00 (CET).

Registrations to the next webinar are already open at the following link.