The process of turning animal skin into leather is called tanning. The leather industry is one of the most labour-intensive sectors in India, providing employment to 2.5 million people in formal and informal settings. The North Indian State of Uttar Pradesh and the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu are hubs for leather production in the country. India’s leather industry is known to have poor working conditions and low environmental standards, characterized by lax enforcement of rules and regulations. The use of outdated technology, non-compliance with safety norms, ineffective handling of tannery effluent and solid waste, and occupational health hazards to workers and local communities are some of the major problems plaguing the leather industry.
Cividep collaborated with the Change Your Shoes campaign on a study focused on the impacts of Indian leather tanneries on nearby communities, the local environment, and tannery workers themselves. Interviews with workers and other stakeholders were conducted and samples of soil and water around tanneries were collected to document environmental pollution and health hazards, particularly those connected to the toxic chemical hexavalent chromium. The research was carried out in the two Indian states of Uttar Pradesh (Kanpur and Agra) in the North and Tamil Nadu (Peranambut, Ambur and Chrompet) in the South.
Access the factsheet and the full report below.
Watch your step! (factsheet)
Watch your step! (full-length report)