The European leather bags market is worth around €4.75 billion. The market grew at an average rate of 4.9% each year between 2017–2022. The markets that offer the best opportunities for leather bags are France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Austria. Poland stands out with significant growth in recent years (including imports from developing countries) and is an important market in Eastern Europe.

1. Product description

Leather is a strong and durable material produced from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of cleaned and dehaired animal skins and hides. The tanning process changes the protein structure of the skin/hide, so it does not decompose. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo and pigs. After tanning, the leather is dyed and finished. In recent years, several types of ‘faux leathers’ or ‘vegan leather alternatives’ have entered the market, but these materials are not of animal origin.

Leather and sustainability

The leather industry causes several environmental problems, such as harm to animals, loss of forests and biodiversity, damage to land, releasing carbon into the air and pollution to water and air. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition, says cowskin leather is the third-most environmentally impactful material to produce. As a result, the leather industry focusses on 3 key areas: transparent supply chains, plant-based alternatives to leather, and reducing or eliminating hazardous chemicals from the production process.

2. What makes Europe an interesting market for leather bags

Europe is a big importer of leather bags. In 2022, the value of leather bag imports to Europe was €4.75 billion, up from €3.74 billion in 2017. This was equal to roughly 55 million units of leather bags in 2022 (down from 58 million in 2017). The average import price grew during the same period from €64 to €86. Between 2017 and 2022, the value of the European Union’s (EU) leather bag imports grew by an average of 4.9% annually.

Source : CBI