How can Wool and Leather production positively contribute to the environment ?

The EU’s evolving policy agenda on sustainability and circularity, including the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and the upcoming Circular Economy Act, underlines the importance of better valorising renewable, bio-based resources within Europe’s economy. Livestock systems contribute to this objective by generating valuable by-products such as wool and leather, which can play a key role in circular bioeconomy ecosystems and support the transition towards more sustainable and resource-efficient value chains.

These materials provide significant environmental and socio-economic benefits, including their renewable and biodegradable nature, their contribution to rural livelihoods, and their role in maintaining viable farming systems. However, their full potential remains underutilised. In parallel, ongoing developments in EU environmental footprint methodologies risk creating unintended consequences. Current approaches, including default durability values, may not adequately reflect the longevity and environmental performance of natural materials such as wool and leather, potentially disadvantaging them in favour of fossil-based alternatives.

This Intergroup session will explore how wool and leather production can positively contribute to environmental objectives, while raising awareness of the key policy and methodological challenges that need to be addressed. It will bring together policymakers and stakeholders to discuss how to better recognise the value of livestock by-products, ensure fair and science-based environmental assessment frameworks, and support a more coherent policy environment aligned with the EU’s sustainability and circular economy ambitions.

Programme

📅 21 MAY | 🕑 10:00–11:30 AM | 📍 Room WEISS S3.5

I. Welcome Speeches

• MEP Benoît Cassart
• MEP Alexander Bernhuber
• MEP Maria Grapini

II. Video on the Biogenic Life Cycle Assessment for Wool 

III. Livestock by-products in the Bioeconomy and their environmental benefits, with focus on leather and wool

• ONLINE Dr. Paul Swan, co-author of the Wool Biogenic Carbon
  • Measuring the impact of wool production, he is based in Sydney Australia (10 min)
• Roland Taferner – Real-life story from Austrian sheep farmer
  • Using feed additives to enable lower nitrogen and phosphorus excretion (10 min)
• Gustavo Defeo ( founder of Ars Tinctoria)
  • Researcher on Biobased Carbon Quantification (10 min)

III. On Bioeconomy

• Speaker from the European Commission TBC

IV. 🗣 Exchange of views with MEPs

🗣 25 min of open discussion 

🗣 25 min discussion with selected speakers  

Conclusion

• MEP Benoît Cassart – 5 min