Leather Working Group

What Leather Working Group does

Leather Working Group (LWG) is a global not-for-profit multi-stakeholder organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. It develops and maintains audit and certification standards for the leather supply chain, including the Leather Manufacturer Standard, Leather Trader Standard, Commissioning Manufacturer Standard, and Subcontractor Standard, administered independently by LWG Assurance Services. Its LWG Audit Standard is used to assess over one-third of global finished leather production, with participation from over 2,000 stakeholders across more than 60 countries, including major brands such as adidas, Nike, LVMH, Hermès, Burberry, IKEA, Marks & Spencer, Clarks, Timberland, Dr Martens, and Tapestry. The organization is also developing a next-generation Sustainability System encompassing a Leather Production Standard, Chain of Custody Standard, Decarbonisation Framework, and a Carbon Footprint Tool, alongside traceability resources such as the Supply Chain Mapping Resource.

LWG operates a membership-based revenue model supplemented by audit levies. Membership fees are scaled to members' global annual turnover, generating 87% of revenue in financial year 2024/2025, with the remaining 13% from audit levies. Total revenue for FY 2024/2025 was £2.46M. The organization is governed by an elected Board comprising four tanneries, four brands, and one supplier, with four-year terms and additional oversight from a Programme Board and Technical Subgroup. Certification is delivered through approved auditors under LWG Assurance Services, which operates independently to mitigate commercial conflicts of interest. The Standards Development Programme, public consultations, and policy advocacy on emerging regulation (notably the EU Deforestation Regulation) form the core of LWG's standards-evolution and ecosystem-leadership activities.

Name

Leather Working Group

Legal name

Leather Working Group

Website

https://leatherworkinggroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leather Working Group is a UK-based global not-for-profit that develops and maintains audit and certification standards for the leather supply chain, serving over 2,000 brand, manufacturer, supplier, and affiliate stakeholders across 60+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Certification Services

NAICS

Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing (316)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Leather Testing, Grading & Quality Certification (IMAOAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Leather Effluent Treatment & Environmental Compliance Services (IMAOAGAO)

Keywords

• Leather certification standards
• Sustainable leather sourcing
• Supply chain auditing
• Environmental compliance certification
• Leather industry standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton Keynes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: LWG is a membership-based organisation with fees based on global annual turnover of an organisation. Brands, retailers and suppliers use the LWG programme within their supply chains.
2. Audit Levy: Revenue from audit levy in addition to membership fees, accounting for remainder of revenue beyond membership fees.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Leather Working Group (LWG) is a global not-for-profit multi-stakeholder organisation that sets and maintains audit standards for assessing and certifying leather manufacturers, traders, commissioning manufacturers, and subcontractors. Its portfolio includes four core certification standards plus the Tannery Of The Future initiative, all delivered through independent third-party audits managed by LWG Assurance Services. The organisation generates revenue primarily through membership fees (87%) and audit levies, and over a third of global finished leather production is assessed using the LWG Audit Standard.

Product overview

Leather Working Group is a global not-for-profit multi-stakeholder organization that serves as the world's largest stakeholder organization dedicated to the leather industry. The organization operates a suite of certification standards including the Leather Manufacturer Standard, Leather Trader Standard, Commissioning Manufacturer Standard, and Subcontractor Standard, all designed to assess and certify environmental and social performance across the leather supply chain. The portfolio also includes the Tannery Of The Future initiative for recognizing leadership in sustainability. Central to LWG's offerings is its Standards Development Programme, which oversees the evolution of audit standards including the upcoming Leather Production Standard, Chain of Custody Standard, and Decarbonisation Framework. The organization also provides Claims Guidance for authorized communication about LWG certification and offers a Supply Chain Mapping Resource for traceability and deforestation due diligence. All certifications are administered independently by LWG Assurance Services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leather Manufacturer Standard
• Leather Trader Standard
• Commissioning Manufacturer Standard
• Subcontractor Standard
• Tannery Of The Future
• Standards Development Programme
• Claims Guidance

Quantifiable outcome

• Over one-third of global finished leather production assessed using LWG Audit Standard
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JBS CouroscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Leather manufacturer represented on LWG Board by Cezar Gernhardt until March 2027. Active in Programme Board.
• Industrias del CurtidocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Leather manufacturer represented on LWG Board by Silvino Navarro until March 2028.
• KH Exports India Pvt. LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Leather manufacturer represented on LWG Board by Malack Abdul Wahab since August 2025 until September 2029.
• Gruppo MastrottocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Leather manufacturer represented on LWG Board by Renata Sartori until September 2026. Also represented on Programme Board by Guido Zilli.
• TapestrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Brand represented on LWG Board by David Wright until March 2029. Representative Carolin Kuntz also serves on Programme Board.
• ECCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Represents manufacturers on LWG Programme Board through Thomas Gregor.
• Farida GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Represented on Programme Board by Israr Ahmed Mecca.
• HermescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Luxury brand represented on LWG Board by Bertrand Jaud until September 2027. Represented on Programme Board by Marie Hortense Terrier.
• LVMHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Major luxury goods group represented on Programme Board by Enrico Faterella.
• StahlcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Chemical supplier represented on Programme Board by Mike Costello.
• UNIDOminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025United Nations Industrial Development Organization represented on Programme Board by Ivan Kral.
• TFL Ledertechnik GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Supplier represented on LWG Board by Dr Volker Rabe.
• LWG Assurance ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Separate organisation that independently manages certification to LWG Standards. Operates independently without commercial pressures to deliver certification services aligned to best auditing practices.
• LWG AS Approved AuditorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Approved auditors including Yigit Kaman (LWG AS Approved Auditor) represented on Programme Board.
• adidascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding member of Leather Working Group. Currently represented on LWG Board by Carolin Kuntz (until March 2030). Active participant in Programme Board.
• ClarkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding member of Leather Working Group. Represented on LWG Board. Active in governance and standards development.
• IKEAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding member of Leather Working Group. Major retailer committed to responsible sourcing through LWG certification.
• NikecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding member of Leather Working Group. Major footwear brand driving sustainability in leather supply chain.
• Marks & SpencercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding member of Leather Working Group. Major UK retailer committed to responsible sourcing practices.
• New BalancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding member of Leather Working Group. Active in governance and standards development.
• TimberlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding member of Leather Working Group. Brand committed to environmental responsibility.
• PrimeAsia Leather CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding member of Leather Working Group. Leather manufacturer founding participant.
• ISA TanTeccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding member of Leather Working Group. Represented on Technical Subgroup by Carl Flach.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Textile Exchange: Global non-profit managing sustainability standards (e.g., GRS, RCS, OCS) for materials and textiles. Closely comparable to LWG as a multi-stakeholder standards body setting certifications for material supply chains, including leather via its Leather Standard.

Broad incumbents

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): Multi-stakeholder non-profit providing forest-based material certification. Comparable to LWG in governance model and use of audit-based standards for chain-of-custody traceability, particularly relevant as LWG develops its deforestation due diligence framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LWG_Leather
• Facebookfacebook.com/LeatherWorkingGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leatherworkinggroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/leatherworkinggroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leather Working Group