The Consortium

The Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium brings together 20 artisan tanneries of the Tuscan Leather District to protect their niche of high-quality product, united by the same philosophy and values of production which are closely linked to the territory.

The Genuine Italian Vegetable Tanned Leather Consortium was founded in 1994 by a small group of Tuscan tanners. The initiative immediately received great consensus and, in a short time, the Consortium considerably increased the number of members.

Today there are 20 associated tanneries, all of them operating in Tuscany, sharing the same passion for vegetable-tanned leather and the same standards of production. The Tuscan Leather District, between the provinces of Florence and Pisa, is the only Italian district for the production of high-quality vegetable-tanned leather. Here vegetable-tanned leather is still produced following the traditional methods: turning raw hides into durable leather takes time and patience, and the skillful combination of technology and experience.

The quality of Tuscan vegetable-tanned leather is the result of time-honored expertise and is closely connected to the lifestyle and culture of its production area. The Consortium acts as guarantor and ambassador of this Tuscan excellence throughout the world, an undertaking it has consolidated with the creation of the quality trademark “Pelle Conciata al Vegetale in Toscana” (Tuscan Vegetable-Tanned Leather) whose symbol guarantees the transparency of the quality and origin of the leathers produced by its member tanneries.

Presented as an elegantly scripted certificate of warranty with a complex anti-counterfeiting system, the quality trademark enables the traceability of both the tannery supplying leather and the manufacturer of the finished product. Over time, the Consortium Presidency has been held by important names in the Tuscan tanning tradition. Leonardo Volpi is currently president of the Consortium.

MISSION

The Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium is a non-profit organization whose mission is to safeguard the centuries-old tradition of vegetable tanning, to protect a typically Tuscan product, to guarantee the quality of the raw material and workmanship, to promote the know-how of Tuscan tanners in the world.

 It proposes a wide range of different activities: scientific studies and historical research, events, exhibitions and publications, guided visits to the tanneries for fashion and design schools, seminars and practical workshops for young stylists, publishing informative materials on vegetable tanning.

The Consortium can offer a constant and effective dialog with all the stakeholders of the leather sector, organizing made-to-measure activities for each one of them, with particular attention to the training of young designers and new generations of consumers, to transmit a product culture that goes beyond requests of the market and current trends.