Rhoma Peles is the newest company to adhere to the Brazilian Leather Certification of Sustainability (CSCB). Specialized in goat and lamb skins, they have joined the CSCB, a program that has made important advances in Brazilian tanning in processes such as energy efficiency, water consumption, and community relations. The CSCB is promoted by the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB) with the support of Brazilian Leather, a project to stimulate exports of Brazilian hides and skins developed by CICB in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex -Brazil).
Entry into the CSCB coincides with the beginning of Rhoma Peles' international market activities, after extensive recognition in Brazil for their supply of leathers used for clothing, shoes, and bags. "I believe that in the current market, only a certified company that is concerned with sustainability has a chance for success and perpetuity," says Roberto Luís Hartmann, technical production manager of Rhoma Peles.
CSCB based their selection of which processes to improve on standardization (there are 173 indicators based on a norm created within ABNT) and their intention to qualify tanneries even further. "We believe that, in this way, our products will be increasingly differentiated and improved, as the company's management will become clearer and simpler with organization and norms," says Roberto. Currently Rhoma Peles produces around 60 thousand hides per month and is established in the municipality of Picada Café (RS), with over nine and a half years of operation.
The certification is only granted after successful completion of an audit, done by an organization that's accredited by Inmetro, signing organ of the mutual recognition agreement in the IAF (International Accreditation Forum) and the ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation). The audit verifies compliance with the standard created within ABNT for sustainable hide production. There are four levels of certification: Bronze (for those that meet up to 50% of applicable indicators of each of the four dimensions of certification), Silver (75%), Gold (90%) and Diamond (100%).
