Towards a green and just industry? Insights from traditional leather districts in Southern Italy

Artisanal processes are crucial for examining major economic development, industrial, and historical forces. Among the different industries, fashion is regarded as one of the most polluting business activities. The indication of origin "Made in Italy" has found extensive scholarly economic appetite; however, the leather sector in its socioeconomic and environmental components has been scarcely investigated. The paper at hand analyzes selected leather poles in Campania, Italy - namely, the tanning, shoes, and gloves industries. Besides, the industrial processes and sustainability implications required are examined to render these productions. The tannery districts are characterized by a strong artisanal component in the productive processes and follow diverse geographical agglomeration rationales. Field visits and in-depth interviews were conducted in the local districts of Solofra (tanning), Grumo Nevano-Aversa (shoemaking), and Rione Sanit`a pole (glove-making). The local activities and specific operational industrial processes are mapped, highlighting the technical industrial phases needed to produce the three leather outputs. Besides, the sustainability repercussions of these industries are analyzed. The study finds that most of the activities heavily rely on traditional techniques and would benefit in socioeconomic and environmental terms from modernization, management, ICT upgrades, as well as process revisions and spatial agglomeration organization. Selected sectoral sustainable development, CSR, ESG, labeling, ethics, and environmental strategy recommendations are presented - especially concerning tanning wastewater treatment. These measures result in a compulsion to face the massive multidimensional crises occurring in the three sectors and business activities.