Amazon Forest Fire Inspired Clothing Industry Vans Suspends Buying Brazil Leather

Timberland, Vans and The North Face, the parent company of the United States shoe and clothing manufacturer VF group, said on Thursday that it would no longer buy Brazil leather. Because of the intensification of the Amazon forest fire, people began to doubt that the production activities of clothing enterprises posed a threat to the ecosystem of rainforests.

Thousands of forest fires in the Amazon region have been going on for weeks, which has led to more rigorous scrutiny of agriculture and beef industry in Brazil's main economic engine. Environmentalists claim that the fire was caused by real estate speculators and ranchers. Burning the land for farming and grazing is a common practice.

A survey conducted by a Brazil media in July showed that JBS SA, the world's largest meat manufacturer and leather producer, had been buying cattle from illegal ranchers in Brazil. Their grazing land was not approved by the government. Although JBS denied the report, they admitted that the origin of some cattle is indeed hard to trace back.

VF group said in a statement: "after careful consideration, we admit that even if we buy the smallest quantity of leather from Brazil suppliers, we can not fully guarantee that these leather products are in line with responsible procurement commitments." VF group added that when we are confident that the materials used in the product will not pose a threat to the environment of Brazil, we will resume the purchase of Brazil leather.

VF group is headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, in addition to Timberland, Vans and The North Face, the group also owns well-known brands such as Dickies, Smartwool and JanSport. The group did not disclose the price of imported leather in Brazil, nor did it disclose whether other leather alternatives would be used.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro said the fire was under control and a decree was issued on Thursday to prohibit arson in the country within 60 days. Data from the Brazil Space Research Institute INPE showed that the number of fires in the Amazon area was 2696 in 5 days since the start of the war last Saturday, which was 31% lower than that before the military took action, up to 3917 in 5 days.

Norway has also stepped up regulation of some companies to ensure that their economic activities do not cause Amazon's deforestation, including oil companies Equinor ASA, fertilizer producers Yara International ASA and aluminum producer Norsk Hydro ASA.

According to data from Center for the Brazil Tanning Industry, Brazil's main leather trading group, in 2018, Brazil exported $1 billion 440 million of cattle leather, and the largest export market was the United States, China and Italy, which accounted for about 60% of the total export of basi PI.