Press release…
“WE NEED 60 MILLION ANIMAL SKINS EVERY YEAR”
EYUP SEVİMLI, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AEGEAN REGION LEATHER INDUSTRIALISTS ASSOCIATION (EGEDERIDER) AND IZMIR FREE ZONE (IZBAŞ):
“WE NEED QUALITY RAW MATERIALS AND HIGH PRODUCTION CAPACITIES IN ORDER NOT TO LOSE OUR EXPORT MARKETS.”
“ALTHOUGH WE ARE ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING COUNTRIES IN LEATHER PROCESSING, WE LAG BEHIND THE PRODUCTION QUANTITIES OF OUR COMPETITORS, ITALY, INDIA, BRAZIL AND AFRICAN COUNTRIES.”
“7th Innovative Aspects For Leather Industry (IAFLI) Congress” organised by Ege University Faculty of Engineering, Department of Leather Engineering was held at Izmir Chamber of Commerce.
Izmir Free Zone (IZBAŞ) was among the corporate supporters of the congress, which was attended by many academicians and professionals from Türkiye and abroad, especially Gustavo Gonzalez-Quıjano, Secretary General of the Confederation of European Leather Industrialists (COTANCE).
“A SECTOR WITH HIGH ADDED VALUE”
Delivering a speech at the opening of the congress, Eyüp Sevimli, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Aegean Region Leather Industrialists’ Association (EGEDERIDER) and Izmir Free Zone (IZBAŞ), gave striking messages on the axis of the current situation and future vision of the Turkish leather industry.
Pointing out that the sector is a high value-added and labour-intensive sector, Sevimli stated that reasons such as wrong agricultural and animal husbandry policies and the widespread use of the material called artificial leather have negatively affected the sector.
Eyüp Sevimli noted that the most important factor in the loss of momentum in the sector, which experienced its golden age in the 80s, 90s and 2000s, was the decrease in the number of livestock in Türkiye and emphasised that the number of domestic livestock must be increased in order for the sector to have a say in production and exports again.