Several footwear brands boycott Brazilian leather
In protest at the fires devastating the Amazon rainforest, a number of footwear brands such as Vans and Timberland have stopped buying their skins from Brazil.
VF Corp, the parent company of clothing brands such as Timberland, Vans and The North Face, has announced that it will no longer be buying leather from Brazil until further notice. This is a major blow to the Brazilian economy. To justify itself, the group cites the forest fires that have been devastating the Amazon region for several weeks already.
But what do shoes have to do with the rainforest? Brazil is one of the world's biggest suppliers of beef and therefore also the main exporter of leather. High demand is having dramatic consequences: out of greed or to stem economic hardship, farmers are illegally clearing huge swathes of rainforest and deliberately setting fires to create extra space for cattle farming.
The problem is a known one and is not new. However, the inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro has seen illegal deforestation activities increase dramatically. This dates back to the beginning of the year. Since then, around 90,000 fires have been recorded, half of them in the Amazon region. Accused of illegal machinations, which he vehemently denies, the Brazilian President has come in for strong international criticism. He has therefore decided to react and has signed a decree banning clearing by fire for the next 60 days.
But what will happen to the forest once this deadline has passed? Will arson attacks resume with a vengeance? Like other companies in the fashion industry, VF Corp is therefore renouncing all trade with Brazil. At least until the skins sold are no longer so harmful to the environment. So there's a bit of a way to go.
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