On 28 May, the Italian Council of Ministers approved a new law to protect the terms leather and hide.
The same, which will replace a previous law of 1966, established the concept of leather and hide as materials deriving from animals and at the same time prohibits these words for any other type of material with different derivation.
Therefore the imaginative definitions that more and more fast fashion houses are proposing will be finally banned in Italy too: vegan leather, eco-leather, imitation leather, ecological leather, etc.
As stated in a note from the Council of Ministers, “the decree contains provisions which include the essential composition requirements of the products and the products manufactured with them must meet the requirements in order to be placed on the market. The aim is to have a clear and unambiguous indication of the materials managed and to eliminate obstacles to the proper functioning of the market “.
The decree, which will be published in the Official Journal shortly, also requires that the checks and controls be carried out by the Chambers of Commerce, the Customs Agency, the Guardia di Finanza (financial police) and the Judicial Police, while the Ministry of Economic Development will take care of the monitoring and coordination of the provisions. The conduct that will be punished includes the lack of a label or mark and the use of a label or mark that does not comply with the required requirements.
More traceability and more protection for the consumer, who, once aware of the material he is about to purchase, will be able to make his responsible and conscious choice.
Italy aligns with Europe in the protection of the words “hide/cuoio” and “leather/pelle”: great victory for UNIC!
