Stakeholders from across the leather sector joined a global dissemination webinar, “Building Safer and Greener Tanneries: Lessons from SMEP,” held on 24 June 2026. The webinar was organised by Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), ETI Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF), and Mondiaal FNV to share insights and lessons from the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) Programme with a wider, international audience.
A key focus of the session was the case for moving beyond traditional audit-based compliance, such as LWG and SEDEX certifications, toward a Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) approach, as international regulation increasingly looks beyond audits to minimise environmental and worker-related risks across supply chains. Speakers noted growing interest from businesses, civil society, and government in adopting HREDD, including a roadmap led by the Ministry of Commerce in collaboration with UN Trade and Development.
The discussion also reflected on the programme's holistic approach, combining environmental management systems, social dialogue, worker protection, and multi-stakeholder engagement, and stressed that technical improvements alone are not enough without sustained management engagement and continuous dialogue through trade unions, anti-harassment committees, and safety committees. Panellists addressed the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) as one of several barriers to accessing high-value markets, noting that pre-treatment at the factory level, improved housekeeping, waste recycling, and circularity are equally important. They also highlighted data management as the main strength among LWG-certified tanneries, supported by structured environmental assessments. Closing recommendations called for a unified short and long-term roadmap involving workers and communities, continued investment in environmental infrastructure, stronger brand engagement, and a more inclusive approach to social and environmental compliance across the sector going forward.
