A compelling call to reimagine waste, rethink sustainability, and reinvigorate African leather value chains echoed through the halls of Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) in Nairobi, where a powerful panel titled “From Waste to Wonder: Transforming Leather into Timeless Products” brought together changemakers championing innovation, inclusion, and circular design.
The discussion was moderated by Beatrice Mwasi, Managing Director of the Center for Business Innovation and Training (CBiT)—the institution coordinating the Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) initiative in Africa. Her framing of the session invited the audience to reflect on an often-overlooked question: What happens to the rest of the animal after the meat leaves your plate?
It’s a question many consumers have never considered, yet one that exposes a massive gap. The world produces an estimated 21 million tonnes of hides and skins annually, yet nearly half go to waste—unused, unprocessed, and unvalued.
“Leather is not the waste. Landfilling it is,” said Preston Viswamo, Project Manager at the Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI). He emphasised the urgent need to expand Africa’s local processing capacity and design infrastructure to convert this abundance into economic opportunity.
Viswamo presented ALLPI’s Regional Design Studio Initiative as a practical solution. These studios, currently operational in 10 COMESA member states, serve as hubs for product innovation, where teams of designers, marketers, and technicians collaborate to transform raw hides into globally competitive products. “Design is not just a creative act—it’s a development tool,” he said. “It’s how we move from waste to wealth.”
Judy Kang, creative director of Nashipai Leather, added a powerful human narrative. Inspired by over 14 years of living with the Maasai community, she shared how their zero-waste philosophy shaped her brand. “There is no dustbin in a Maasai village,” she said. “Every part of the animal is used—even the hide becomes warmth.”
Nashipai, meaning joy in Maasai, now employs deaf artisans and single mothers to craft leather pieces from even the smallest offcuts. Every product carries a story, traced from the tannery to the customer. “We are not just building a brand. We are building trust and dignity,” Kang said. “Sustainability is not just about the planet—it’s about people.”
Ms. Tally Einav, UNIDO’s Head of Office in Kenya, addressed the policy disconnects that continue to limit value addition across the continent. While Africa exports Wet Blue (semi-processed hides), it often imports back finished goods at higher cost. “We don’t lack resources. We lack localisation,” she said. “You cannot build a leather industry while outsourcing its value.”
Einav called for robust public procurement policies that prioritise locally made leather goods—especially in sectors such as military footwear and school uniforms. She also stressed the need for trust, traceability, and brand positioning as key market differentiators. “Stories sell,” she remarked. “The love behind the craft is part of what makes it valuable.”
The discussion also tackled fragmentation within Africa’s leather sector, with value chains operating in silos—both within countries and across borders. Mwasi challenged stakeholders to think beyond individual enterprises and toward regional integration. “We are not short of talent,” she said. “We’re short of connection. We must move from silos to systems.”
The session also spotlighted the Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) competition, an initiative of the Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) in collaboration with the Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) and coordinated in Africa by the Center for Business Innovation and Training (CBiT). The initiative seeks to nurture a new generation of designers who view leather not as waste, but as a material of legacy, resilience, and contemporary creativity.
The panel concluded with a bold challenge: integrate, collaborate, and create—from traceability tools to design studios, from policy frameworks to education campaigns. Africa has the raw material, the culture, and the craft. What remains is the cohesion and investment needed to unlock its full leather potential.
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