The Leather Working Group (LWG), the world's premier certification for the leather production sector based in the UK, and the worldwide non-profit Textile Exchange have given reciprocal membership of their respective organizations, to improve alignment and allow greater collaboration and resource sharing. Both organizations will be able to use each other's resources as a result of the agreement.

According to a joint press release, reciprocal membership will allow the two organizations to attend each other's member-only events and debates, as well as develop a deeper working partnership to decrease the leather industry's effect.

In 2018, the LWG and Textile Exchange signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to unify their efforts in achieving environmental improvement in tannery operations and leather manufacture. The collaboration has grown since then, with LWG becoming a member of the Responsible Leather Round Table and assisting Textile Exchange in developing the Leather Production Environmental Standards Benchmark for the Leather Impact Accelerator (LIA), which is based on the LWG Audit Standard.

Christina Trautmann, the LWG's program manager, said that their audit standard will continue to be improved thanks to the devotion of the technical specialists who make up the LWG Technical Sub-Group, ensuring that it stays current, important, and effective within the leather sector. They can only address the problems confronting the leather sector by including many stakeholders across the supply chain and creating alignment, and they’re dedicated to continuing to engage with Textile Exchange as their benchmark is established.

Anne Gillespie, director of impact acceleration at Textile Exchange, said that Textile Exchange respects the work Leather Working Group has done to provide solutions to address sustainability in leather production and they value the support they have given us in the development of the Leather Impact Accelerator. They look forward to future partnership opportunities.

Textile Exchange will be able to actively participate in LWG activities, contribute to working groups on specific subjects of importance to the industry, and access the LWG Audit Standards and other technical documents as a member of the Leather Working Group. The LWG, on the other hand, may now access the Textile Exchange Hub, a secure platform where members of the textile and leather sectors can share information and resources.

As of July 1, 2021, both organizations have been given reciprocal membership, which they intend to keep for the foreseeable future.