NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — A new nationwide study says American leather is cleaner than once thought — and it is calling on other materials to prove their claims, too. The Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) released an independent, fully transparent report showing U.S.-made leather has a much smaller environmental footprint than earlier models suggested.
The study measured the entire process—from cattle raised on farms to finished hides leaving the tannery—and found far lower carbon emissions, land and water use, and soil impacts than many synthetic alternatives.
“Leather has a reputation for performance and quality, as evidenced by many man-made textiles or ‘pleathers’ hijacking its name,” said LHCA President Kerry Brozyna. “Now we know that animal-derived leather is not just a leader in performance but also in sustainability — from its sourcing to production, use, repurposing, recycling, or disposal.”
Led by Dr. Greg Thoma at Colorado State University’s AgNext program, the research used current data from U.S. farms, the USDA, and the U.S. Meat Export Federation. It found that previous global estimates overstated livestock’s impact by up to six times.
It also highlighted key differences between production systems — showing that dairy-sourced hides have about half the carbon impact of the U.S. average. In contrast, grass-fed systems have roughly 40 percent higher impact. LHCA President Kerry Brozyna said the findings set “a new standard for honesty and transparency” in sustainability reporting.
For ranchers, clearer accounting could strengthen demand for U.S. hides, while offering brands verified data to back sustainability claims. The group says the report’s open data format will serve as a model for future studies on all textiles.
“This life cycle assessment was conducted with the best information available and covers the whole supply chain from U.S farm to tannery gates worldwide,” said Dr. Thoma. “We have published all the data and methodology used to encourage peer review and the future integration of any more relevant data that is available. I believe this is the most thorough and open life cycle assessment that has been undertaken for any textile material, but we must constantly seek more data on processes from all parts of the life cycle, particularly tanneries, as US hides are processed all over the world and standards vary from country to country and continent to continent.”
