Where is leather made today?
The leather industry argues that leather is a by-product of the meat industry and that without leather production there will be serious environmental impacts.
Clearly the supply of leather depends on the meat industry. Countries that have a large meat production tend to have a large leather goods industry, which is why countries such as Brazil, Argentina and the United States of America are large leather producers. There are cases like Italy where for historical reasons it has a deep tradition in the manufacture of leather goods and to this day it is considered as one of the leading players in the leather industry. India's leather industry began with the arrival of British warriors in the 19th century and their demand for horse saddles and boots, so to this day India continues its tradition and is one of the largest exporters of leather in the world. Nevertheless, it is China's vast industry that has the upper hand as the largest producer of leather goods in the world.