The LWG Leather Manufacturer Audit Protocol 7, the most recent edition of the Leather Working Group's flagship audit standard, became mandatory on August 22, 2021. P7 represents a significant advancement, allowing for a more comprehensive evaluation of a tannery's performance, with more stringent standards across the board and additional requirements for social responsibility, material traceability, effluent treatment, and chemical management.

Protocol 7 was first released in February 2021 and was replaced by P7.1 on July 6, 2021, after a period of public deliberation. P7.1 took the role of Protocol 6.7 on August 22, 2021, and is now required for all audits of leather production plants.

Their new standard goes farther than ever before in including traceability, chemical management, social responsibility, governance, and health and safety into its medal grading criteria while continuing to address numerous key environmental, social, governance, and compliance concerns. It also expects more from our members in terms of energy and water management, as well as air emissions and wastewater discharges.

Christina Trautmann, Program Manager of the Leather Working Group, said that Protocol 7 is not simply a logical progression of their existing auditing standard, but rather a revolution in what they consider to be a responsible leather production facility. They set out to address significant issues in the leather business, with the ultimate objective of providing companies with a more secure supply chain and customers with the guarantees they require.

Ian Scher, Chair of the LWG Executive Committee and VP of Procurement at PrimeAsia, said that Protocol 7 will establish a unique and unparalleled threshold in terms of delivering an all-encompassing certainty of supply for those that procure from authorized leather producers under their program.