(Image credit: RobbieNoble / CC0)
Many of us avoid consuming beef from Brazil these days, as it has become known that their beef industry is the biggest driver of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest - but did you know that Brazil is also a major exporter of leather? Brazil accounted for 19 percent of global tanned leather exports in 2020, according to UN Comtrade.
More and more companies importing leather from Brazil say they have policies in place to prevent them from contributing to deforestation, yet the deforestation of the Amazon is increasing. One problem is that the non-profit community organizations they use to audit leather supply chains often evaluate tanneries only on their ability to trace leather back to slaughterhouses. Currently, there is no reliable way to ensure that farmers do not bring livestock to slaughterhouses from areas that have been illegally deforested.
Deforestation also has a major impact on carbon dioxide emissions. According to Stand.Earth, deforestation for cattle ranching in the Amazon rainforest is responsible for almost 2% of global CO2 emissions annually, which is equal to the emissions from all flights globally.
We at Treefling care about the environment, therefore our skin care products contain only organic ingredients.