The Leathertrace Bangladesh Project officially concluded with a closeout event held at Mulberry headquarters in London, marking the completion of 2 years of work to address environmental and social challenges in Bangladesh’s leather industry.
The project developed digital traceability and environmental assessment tools to support sustainable leather production in Bangladesh.
iDEA TREE was part of the cross disciplinary consortium that delivered the project alongside a team of international experts. The initiative focused on creating and testing digital solutions that can help tanneries improve sustainability across their operations.
One of the project’s key outcomes is the Leathertrace e-Traceability System, a web and mobile platform designed to record, track and verify leather product data from raw material sourcing to finished goods.
The consortium also developed a Carbon Calculator and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) measure greenhouse gas emissions and assess the environmental impact of production activities.
Another major output is a Policy Blueprint that outlines the institutional, legal, technological and financial reforms needed to speed up the adoption of digital traceability across Bangladesh’s leather value chain.
The project received funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) Programme. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) provided technical assistance.
The consortium included iDEA TREE, University of Northampton, Aston University, University of Hertfordshire, SERA Bangladesh and the Sustainable Leather Foundation. The partners said the initiative aims to support a more transparent, compliant and competitive future for Bangladesh’s leather industry.
