A business article on prospects for Indian leather producers in The Economic Times suggests China is already suffering the economic costs of its new effort to shift in the direction of greener development–with happy results for its chief rival the Asian growth game:
The recent clampdown by China on polluting tanneries has come as a boon to Indian leather goods exporters. Several tanneries in China have closed down owing to strict implementation of environment laws. The Chinese industry has also been hit by the 30% rise in prices of raw hides and skins globally.
Against this backdrop, India’s acknowledged status as a high-quality leather processing centre and availability of skilled labour compared to China seems to have turned the focus of leading European buyers of leather goods on India. [Full Text]
The article says nothing about the environmental regulations, or lack thereof, governing India’s leather industry.
[Photo: A man in a fake leather jacket poses on a Shanghai street, by Natalie Behring]
