A Brazilian company has announced the arrival of a first leather cargo in Europe coming from cattle that was reared without causing deforestation, reported Reuters.
Durlicouros, Latin America's second-biggest leather processor after JBS SA, said on Tuesday around 1,000 wet blue leather skins had arrived in Italy at the beginning of this week.
The cargo contains all information about the animal the leather was produced from, traceable by a QR code, as part of a protocol to maintain sustainability in production, Durlicouros said.
The initiative is a response to pressure to promote green practices and tackle climate change, which scientists blame for extreme weather events that bring record temperatures, droughts, wildfires and flooding.
Durlicouros is part of a group of Brazilian companies which last year started a scheme to certify Amazonian cattle processed for meat and leather that have been raised without causing deforestation.
The Amazon rainforest is one of the world's most important carbon sinks.
The initiative to monitor all stages of leather production currently tracks more than 113,000 animals individually using blockchain technology, the company said.
So far, the scheme covers a tiny fraction of Brazil's 234 million-strong cattle herd, but its promoters say it is a step towards allowing consumers to make informed choices when they buy products.