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Fun Facts about the Leather Industry
- The leather industry generates more than 53 billion USD each year. That’s more than the sale of rubber, coffee, tea, sugar, cotton and rice…combined!
- The average person is wearing four leather products at any given time.
- More than 23 billion sq. ft. of leather is produced in a single year.
- As lucrative as the leather industry is the value of the hide is only 5-10% of the value of the animal. This is because leather is a by-product with most animals being raised for meat and milk.
- Leather is a natural resource and as such is also a renewable resource. Without leather, synthetic alternatives would be needed to replace it.
- The weight of leather is measured in ounces per square foot. So 3 ounces of leather means that one square foot of it weighs 3 ounces. Such leather would be one eighth of an inch thick!
- Cowhide is the most used animal skin in the production of leather.
- White leather is the most difficult to produce as only top quality leather can accept white dye without any change in texture. Lesser quality leathers would feel stiff and may even crack.
