UNIC publishes the partial results of the 2017 production report.

According to data from UNIC, the National Union of the Tanning Industry, the partial results of the Italian tannery for 2017 showed an increase in production. During the second half of 2017, in fact, there was an improvement over previous months.

The percentages of sales aimed at use for car interiors and furniture, as well as for leather goods, remain positive.

There was also a slight increase in the overall export of Italian leather (+0.7%) with a decisive increase especially to the Chinese (+7%), British (+7%) and especially Vietnamese (+14%) markets, while the flow to the USA remains stable and that to other European countries is down, with the exception of France, which still records only a timid +1%.

Overall, the importance of export turnover for the Italian tanning industry has been confirmed, which has risen from 35% of total turnover in 1992 to 75% in recent years. In fact, not only does 26% of the world leather trade, according to UN-WTO data, have Italian origin, but exports reach an average of 125 countries per year and move about 4 billion euros.

The contribution of the luxury market is very important, which after the downturn of 2016 is recovering, especially with the brands of the Kering group: Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Puma. On the other hand, the results of the Ferragamo group brands are substantially stable, while the Tod's and Prada groups are at a loss.

However, the resilience of the luxury sector remains generally positive, especially in the Chinese and American markets, while there are difficulties in Middle Eastern countries.