The European Union removed Vietnamese footwear from the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) as of the start of this year, according to the Vietnamese News Agency.
An official from the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso) was reported as saying that the loss of GSP status and the current EU anti-dumping duty of 10% on Vietnamese leather upper shoes will worsen the current difficulties of domestic shoe manufacturers.

Drums, cannons and fireworks signalled the grand opening of ECCO's Xiamen tannery in the Tong'an Chengnan Industrial Zone on Saturday, September 6. Local dignitaries from the municipal government and district authorities attended along with top representatives of the ECCO group and a great many overseas guests.

Leather furniture is an investment, so good maintenance is important.

Here are some do's and don'ts:

Avoid seemingly harmless cleaners such as oil soap; it will stain and darken
the leather. And mild soap, though gentle on dishwashing hands, will not only
remove the dirt, it might just remove the color on the leather as well. Saddle soap might be good for that catcher's mitt, but steer clear of using it on leather furniture.
We can use mild soap on our skin because our skin is still alive and will
produce more oils that have been washed off with soap, while the leather sofa
does not have that ability. Eventually the leather will become brittle, dry and
damaged. Why not wash with soap and then apply oil? Because the oil will stain
the leather.

Turkey’s State Statistics Institute reports that Turkey exported raw hides and skins, and leather, worth US$53.4 million in the first five months of this year, compared with US$46.9 million in the same period in 2007. Turkish imports of the same types of commodities in January to May period this year were worth US$243 million, as against US$257 million in the corresponding period in 2007.

Production of leather and leather products in Turkey in May was 16.1% lower than in May 2007. In comparison, industrial output in Turkey in May was 2.4% higher year-on-year.

Ecco Leather BV have announced the inauguration of their tannery in the Chengnan industrial zone of Tang’an district, Xiamen. The opening ceremony is due to take place on September 6, 2008.
The facility is located alongside four of the company’s existing footwear units which have an estimated combined capacity of four million pairs and are already in production