European regulators will vote on June 1 on whether to remove leather from the scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation. The decision carries major implications for fashion supply chains and efforts to curb cattle-linked deforestation in places like Brazil.
The EUDR, which takes effect at the end of 2026, requires products sold in the EU to be free of deforestation links. Leather, derived from cattle, was originally included and would need full farm-level traceability for hides entering the bloc. This standard exceeds current industry practices, especially in Brazil where cattle often move across multiple farms before slaughter.