Leather is under pressure as environmentally unsound due to animal greenhouse gas emissions and use of chemicals along the value chain. In a world-first, Jaguar Land Rover partnered with supply chain traceability provider Circulor; leading UK supplier Bridge of Weir Leather Company, and the University of Nottingham to trial the use of traceability technology in the leather supply chain. It helps track the carbon footprint of the automaker’s leather supply network, a key step to reducing the environmental and ethical impact of this material across its lifecycle.
As part of the Innovate UK-funded research, a ‘digital twin’ of the raw material was created, allowing its progress to be tracked through the leather supply chain simultaneously in the real world and digitally. A combination of GPS data, biometrics, and QR codes digitally verify the movement of leather at every step of the process using blockchain technology.
Dave Owen, JLR Executive Director of Supply Chain, says “The outcome from this world-first trial will allow us to further improve the sustainability of the leather supply chain around the globe, ensuring the complete traceability of raw materials from origin to vehicle. This is one step in our journey to net zero carbon emissions across our supply chain, products and operations by 2039, enabled by leading edge digital capabilities”.
Blockchain technology is supposedly impervious to tampering or hacking, giving customers greater confidence that the sustainable supply chain is authentic, and all materials have been sustainably sourced. Bridge of Weir sees here the potential to create carbon-positive leather if they source from local farms where the livestock is grass fed, where there is no deforestation, and coupled with zero-carbon, zero-waste manufacturing processes. The blockchain technology developed in this trial will enable each stage in the process, and the entire leather supply chain, to be accurately tracked and measured.
JLR is committed to offering customers more sustainable and responsible material choices for their vehicle interiors, such as the premium natural fiber eucalyptus textile; and Kvadrat, a refined high-quality wool blend textile that’s paired with a suede cloth made from 53 recycled plastic bottles per vehicle.
