A new report from the British NGO Earthsight sheds light on the behind-the-scenes of the high-end leather industry. According to its investigation revealed on June 24, several major fashion houses – including Coach, Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton – are allegedly sourcing leather indirectly from companies linked to illegal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.
The organization claims to have traced the leather used by these brands back to a slaughterhouse located in the Brazilian state of Pará, one of the most critical hotspots for deforestation. This slaughterhouse is said to have purchased thousands of heads of cattle raised on illegally deforested land. The leather obtained would then be exported to Italy, particularly to the Veneto region, where two tanneries – Conceria Cristina and Faeda – process it before reselling it under the label of “Italian leather.”
While all the cited brands deny using Brazilian leather, some have nonetheless launched internal investigations. Fendi and Hugo Boss have initiated checks, while Chanel has severed its ties with the Faeda tannery, citing a loss of trust in its traceability chain. Chloé, for its part, is the only one to have provided Earthsight with a detailed protocol for verifying its supplies.
The report particularly criticizes the shortcomings of the Leather Working Group, a certification that is presented as a guarantee of sustainability. According to Earthsight, this label does not require tanneries to trace back to the source farm, leaving the door open for leather from deforested lands to enter production chains.
“Consumers imagine that luxury products are synonymous with ethics and transparency. But what our investigation shows is that this is not always the case,” summarizes Rafael Pieroni, Latin America director of Earthsight.
The timing of this revelation is not coincidental. It comes just a few months before COP30, which will be held in the Brazilian city of Belém, right in the Amazon region. Until then, the NGO calls for strict enforcement of the new European regulation banning the import of products derived from deforestation, including leather.
The situation in the region remains concerning. Between August 2024 and May 2025, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon increased by more than 9%, according to the Climate Observatory. A trend that, if it continues, could weigh heavily on Brazil’s credibility at the environmental summit at the end of the year.