Leather Working Group: responsible leather sourcing

Increasingly, consumers want to know more about the origin of branded products and materials, particularly natural materials. Although ASICS products mainly use synthetic materials, leather is the most significant natural material we use in terms of volume.

To ensure the tractability of our leather products and shift to source more sustainable leather, in February 2018 we joined the Leather Working Group (LWG), a multi-stakeholder group promoting sustainable leather manufacturing practices. ASICS is the first Japanese brand to join the group.

We took part in the LWG Main Member Meeting in Hong Kong and gained valuable information about the leather industry and how to address common challenges around leather sourcing. We set a target to source 80% of the total leather used for ASICS, ASICSTIGER and Onitsuka Tiger branded footwear from LWG medal-rated suppliers by 2020. 

In 2018, we sourced 88% from LWG medal-rated suppliers, reaching our target two years early.