Question1: The hide price has been declining ever since January 2018, what do you think of the root cause for that?

自2018年1月以来，生皮的价格一直在下降，你认为它的根本原因是什么？

First, we all know that hide and skin prices are notoriously volatile. Because they are by-products of the meat and dairy industry, the supply of materials is not affected by the level of demand and the consequent price; as a result, the prices can fluctuate significantly with relatively small differences between supplies and demand. In simple terms, therefore, the declining hide price is due to the supply and demand situation - increased global slaughter rates (more hides) vs falling demand for leather (reduced raw material requirements by tanners).

首先，我们都知道，生皮的价格是出了名的不稳定。因为它们是肉类和奶制品行业的副产品，材料的供应不受需求水平和随之而来的价格的影响; 其结果是，价格会随着供应和需求之间的相对较小的差异而显著波动。因此，在简单的条件下，不断下降的生皮价格是由于供应和需求的情况——全球屠宰率的升高（更多的生皮）和对皮革需求的下降（制革者减少原材料的需求）。

We see two main reasons for the recent worldwide weakness in prices. More recently there has been considerable uncertainty in the global economy, with particular uncertainty about the market in China, along with global concerns about high level of indebtedness and credit, the Trump-inspired trade war and uncertainties in Europe about the impact of BREXIT. This has been in addition to the slightly longer-term shift in the global shoe market (the biggest global end use market for leather) – away from traditional shoes and towards sports shoes (trainers) with each pair, progressively, incorporating less and less leather. One effect of this has been to contribute to a situation where Chinese tanneries require less hides, and demand from China still has a major impact on the raw hide market.

我们看到了最近全球价格疲软的两个主要原因。最近，全球经济出现了相当大的不确定性，中国市场的不确定性，以及全球对高负债和信贷的担忧，以及受到特朗普引发的贸易战和欧洲區英国退欧影响的不确定性。除此之外，全球鞋类市场（全球用皮量最大的市场）的长期转变，从传统的鞋子，到运动鞋（运动鞋），逐漸的每雙鞋子的用皮量越来越少。这样做的一个影响就是促成一個局面，中国的制革厂皮革需求量減少，而中国的需求仍然會对原始的生皮市场产生重大影响。

Question 2: Athletic shoes made with fabric or synthetic material are becoming more popular with consumers in some major markets such as the United States, could this trend change over time?

在美国等一些主要市场，用织物類或合成材料制成的运动鞋正变得越来越受消费者欢迎，这种趋势会随着时间的推移而改变吗？

Trends are changing all the time – so anything is possible. However, it seems unlikely without some significant efforts to change consumer fashion trends and manufacturers’ choices regarding production processes. A change in fashion trends back to ’traditional’ leather footwear could reverse the swing to some degree. The other key factor is that footwear manufacturers have become more willing to use synthetic materials as components for footwear because they are easier to handle and to process, and both their appearance and behaviour are more consistent than leather. This lays down a challenge for tanners to produce leather or leather components that meet the specific production process requirements of the footwear manufacturer and that support a marketing “story” about leather as an environmentally friendly material.

趨勢一致都在改變-所以任何事情都有可能。然而，如果没有一些重大的努力来改变消费者的时尚趋势和制造商在生产过程中的选择，这似乎是不可能的。时尚潮流的变化，回归到“传统”的皮鞋，可能会在一定程度上扭转这一趋势。另一个关键因素是，鞋类制造商更愿意将合成材料作为鞋类的零部件，因为它们更容易处理和加工，而且它们的外观和性能都比皮革更穩定。这为制革厂提供了一个挑战，让他们生产满足鞋类制造商的特定生产工艺要求的皮革或皮革部件，并支持皮革作为一种环保材料的营销“故事”。

Question 3: World widely the environmental protection standards are rising year by year, so is the overall tanning cost, that all make the tanning industry very challenging, how the tanning industry could do to cope with those challenges?

世界范围内的环境保护标准逐年上升，整体的製革成本，都使制革业很有挑战性，製革行业如何应对这些挑战？

It is increasingly clear that all tanners will have to achieve reasonable levels of environmental performance sooner or later, but not all improvements automatically add costs. Innovations in waste handling – recycling, reuse and recovery instead of disposal can minimise disposal costs and generate income. Innovations in process efficiency can minimise chemical, energy and water use and reduce wastage.

The things that need to be done are well understood but tanners need to keep an open mind as to how they achieve them. Tanners also need to maintain a regular dialogue with their customers in order to share knowledge and, where possible, avoid unnecessary costs by ensuring – as far as possible – that customers’ demands are reasonable and technically sensible.

越来越明显的是，所有的制革者迟早都要达到合理的环保水平，但并不是所有的改进都会自动增加成本。废物处理方面的创新——資源回收、再利用和恢復而不是廢物处置——可以将处理成本最小化，并产生收入。过程效率的创新可以减少化学、能源和水的使用，减少浪费。

需要做的事情製革者都非常理解，但是对于他们如何实现这些事情，他们需要保持开放的心态。为了分享知识，也需要与客户保持定期的对话，并尽可能避免不必要的成本，确保客户的需求是合理的，在技术上是明智的。

Question 4: Recently the tanning industry was wrongly reported by some animal welfare organizations, some consumers began to believe cows are slaughtered primarily for skin. Is there any way ICT help brands and consumers understand if not processed by the tanneries the pollution of the cow skins will be much more serious?

最近，一些动物福利组织错误地报道了制革业，一些消费者开始认为屠殺牛主要是为了外皮。信息通信技术有沒有什麼方式能帮助品牌和消费者理解，如果不被制革厂加工，牛皮的污染将会严重得多？

I think that everyone in the leather industry understands that there is a continuing need to educate both the end consumer and the distribution chain about the nature of leather and the leather-making process. Clearly, ICT has a part to play in this, but reaching the consumer, in particular, is not easy and it cannot fall to the ICT alone. All actors in the leather supply chain need to play a part to reach their customers with the correct information, and industry bodies such as ICT and Leather Naturally are co-operating to develop their activities in this area. ICT will shortly be launching its new website and is involved in the organisation of the 4^th World Leather Congress – “Leather in Everyday Life” - due to be held in New York on 16 July 2019, which will to address this issue, along with giving other positive messages about leather.

我认为，皮革行业的每个人都明白，对于皮革的本质和皮革制作过程，我们仍有必要对终端消费者和分销链进行教育。很明显，ICT在这方面有一定的作用，但是，接触消费者特别不容易，而且它不可能仅仅依靠ICT。皮革供应链中的所有参与者都需要发挥作用，向客户提供正确的信息，而信息通信技术和皮革等行业组织自然也在合作，以展開他们在这一领域的活动。ICT不久将推出新网站和参与第四届世界皮革大会的组织——“皮革在日常生活”——将于2019年7月16日在纽约举行,这将解决这个问题,以及提供其他关于皮革的积极信息。

Questions 5: Hide conditions has been worsening for many years, 85% SATRA cutting coefficient becomes challenging especially on natural products. To improve the grading also leads to the increase in chemical use. The primary reason for customer to buy a pair of leather shoe is for the nature beauty and comfortableness. Can ICT take the lead working with the leading companies in the shoe industry to set up a much more relaxed standard on leather defects, this could also meet consumers’ expectation of less waste and a cleaner earth.

多年来，生皮条件一直在恶化，85%的SATRA裁斷系数变得具有挑战性，尤其是在天然产品上。為了提高級數也会导致化学使用的增加。顾客购买一双皮鞋的主要原因是为了自然美和舒适。ICT是否可以引領鞋业界的主要企業合作并建立一个更加宽松的皮革瑕疵标准，这也可以满足消费者对更少的浪费和更清洁的地球的期望。

Yes, ICT can become involved in this argument, but a major part of the discussion has to involve the other actors in the leather supply chain in order to reach their customers with the messages that demanding high cutting co-efficients, just for themselves, can create unnecessary problems and compromise the environmental credentials of the product. Eventually, it will also need the product manufacturers to be open to using leather with more defects, and the final consumer needs to appreciate that part of the beauty of leather is that it is a natural and variable material – and, of course, this is another part of the marketing story of using leather.

是的,ICT可以参与这个討論,但讨论的一个主要部分需要包括皮革供应链中的其他角色人員以达到他們客户要求裁斷系数高的消息,只是为了他們自己,可以创建不必要的问题和妥协的环境产品的凭证。最终,它也将需要使用皮革产品制造商开放更多的瑕疵,最终的消费者需要欣赏皮革此部分的美丽原因是,它是一个自然和可變得材料——当然,这是皮革营销故事的另一部分。

Question 6:Currently cow leather is mainly used for shoes, car seats, upholstery, any other areas that leather can be widely used in the future?

目前，牛皮主要用于鞋、汽车座椅、室内装潢，未来,皮革可以广泛使用在其他领域吗？

Leather has been around for a very long time and it is already very widely used – as well as those sectors listed above, traditionally it has been used in an extensive range of products including industrial products (such as drive belts, valves and seals), in protective products, equestrian products (saddles, harnesses), bags, belts, straps, garments, sports equipment (balls, gloves, coverings). However, it is difficult to envisage any new major uses, although potentially profitable niches are likely to arise on a reasonably regular basis. For example, the fashion sector of handbags and accessories has recently been performing well and there has been recent growing interest in corporate and institutional interior design (furniture, décor, floor tiles, wall panels) of public buildings, offices, hotels etc. Leather has also become popular in transport (airplanes, buses, trains)because it is easier to clean and lasts longer than alternative materials.

皮革已经存在了很长时间,并已經被广泛使用,除了上面列出这些领域外,传统上皮革已經被大範圍的用於产品上,包括工业产品(如传送带、阀门和密封圈),在防護产品,马具产品(马鞍,马具)、包、腰带、肩带、服装、运动器材(球、手套、覆盖物)。然而，很难想象任何新的主要用途，尽管潜在的有利可图的利基市场很可能会在合理的基础上出现。例如,时尚手袋及配件部门最近表现良好,最近他們對公共建築，辦公室，酒店等企业和机构室内设计越来越感兴趣(家具、装饰、地砖、墙面板)。皮革也會流行于交通工具上(飞机、公共汽车、火车),因为它比其他替代材料更容易清洁和耐用。

Question 7: From the technical perspective, what the Future Leather would be compared with what it is like today?Will there be more breakthrough to make leather more comfortable and environmental friendly?

从技术的角度来看，與目前的皮革相比未來的皮革會是如何？是否会有更多的突破使皮革更加舒适和环保？

It is difficult to envisage any single, major technical breakthrough that will benefit the tanning industry in the future, but there will be a steady stream of developments aimed at improving efficiency, environmental performance and the functional properties of leather.

In processing, we will see new alternative tanning agents, all with special properties, but with the challenge to improve on what is already available, in terms of functionality, cost effectiveness and environmental acceptability; new processing systems that reduce or remove the need for certain strong chemicals, or even water from the process; new process chemicals that improve functional properties, such as strength, flexibility, waterproofing, fireproofing; new chemicals for masking surface faults potentially improving cutting co-efficients; new systems for re-use, recovery, recycling of by-product, waste, chemicals, water – leading to zero emissions.

很难设想未来会有任何一項有利於製革業的重大技术突破，但“提高效率、环保性能和皮革的功能特性”将会是一個穩定的发展趋势。在發展过程中，我们将看到新的替代鞣剂，它們都具有特殊的特性，但在功能、成本效益和环境可接受性方面，我们面临着改进现有的技术的挑战; 新的处理系统减少或消除对某些强化学物质的需求，甚至是其过程中的水，新工艺化学品改进了功能性質，如强度、弹性、防水、防火;用于掩盖表面断层的新化学物质有可能提高裁斷效率;用于重复利用、回收、回收副产品、废物、化学品、水的新系统——從而達到零排放。

Question 8: For the tanning process, how much it will be reshaped by automation in the future though we all know this is already not a labor intensive industry.

对于製革的过程，在未来的自动化中会有多大的改变，尽管我们都知道这已经不是一个劳动密集型产业了。

Tanning is typically a series of batch processes and the level of automation has been increasing on a step by step basis, as individual processes have been automated wherever practical. The most obvious area has been in automated handling systems for collecting, stacking and moving hides, skins and leather from one process to the next. This replacement of manual handling also has benefits for improving the health and safety of workers. The individual processes such as dosing of drums, spraying, measuring and cutting are being automated, along with the collation of process data for use in monitoring and quality control. If carried out properly, automation can improve quality and consistency of product, as well as achieving efficiency savings.

制革通常是一系列的批处理过程，自动化程度也在逐步提高，因为實際上單一工序已經實現自動化。最明显的领域是自动处理系统，从一个过程到下一个过程，收集、堆放和移動生皮和皮革。这种人工操作的替換也有利于提高工人的健康和安全。对鼓、喷洒、测量和裁斷等單一工序进行自动化，并对过程数据进行整理，以便在监测和质量控制中使用。如果进行适当的操作，自动化可以提高产品的质量和穩定性，并提高效率。

Question 9: Man made leather, fabric, synthetic are all eroding the market share of leather, in the near future, any other kind of materials can substitute leather for shoes?

人造皮革、編織物、合成物都在侵蚀皮革的市场份额，在不久的将来，任何其他种类的材料都可以代替鞋子上的皮革？

There are many interesting materials being developed but many seem not to have progressed much further than the concept stage. Also, a key element of footwear composition is the process of manufacture, with the manufacturers essentially wanting materials that fit easily and efficiently into their manufacturing processes.

有许多有趣的材料正在被开发中，但许多似乎都是停留在概念階段，沒有進一步發展。此外，鞋类构成的一个关键因素是制造过程，制造商本质上想要的是能够轻松有效地进入生产流程的材料。

Having said this, we see, in the longer term, a number of types of material that could become available to footwear manufacturers alongside leather. We have already seen improvements in PU and PVC materials that mimic leather and there is a new generation of “hybrid” materials entering the market, with mixtures of leather fibres (from waste leather) and other materials often combined with a synthetic or fabric base layer. Beyond that there is biofabricated material, based on genetically engineered collagen, which still appears to be at the development stage. Also, on the horizon are plant-based materials.

话虽如此，但从长远来看，我们可以看到，很多类型的材料被鞋类制造商和皮革搭配使用。我们已经看到了模仿皮革的PU和PVC材料的改进，新一代的“混合”材料进入市场，混合了皮革纤维（来自废皮革）和其他材料，通常与合成或织物基层结合在一起。除此之外，还存在着一种基于基因工程胶原蛋白的生物材料，这种材料似乎仍处于开发阶段。同时，在孕育階段的還有植物性材料。

Reverting briefly to the process of footwear manufacture, one aspect that the whole industry sector should be monitoring carefully is the use of 3D printing. There are already reports of some niche operators printing whole shoes using this technology, and also some of the major brands are reported to be using 3D printing to produce components, such as insoles. Currently the materials typically used in 3D printing are reported to be plastics such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyamide (nylon), or polycarbonates and metals such as silver, titanium and steel, but research is understood to be ongoing to use additional materials.

简单地回顾一下鞋类制造的过程，整个行业部门应该仔细监控的一个方面是3D打印的使用。已经有报道称，一些小众公司使用这种技术来打印整款鞋，而且据报道，一些主要品牌也在使用3D打印技术生产零部件，比如鞋垫。目前，在比較典型的使用在3D打印中使用的材料据说是塑料，如丙烯腈丁二烯苯乙烯（ABS），聚酰胺（尼龙），或聚碳酸酯和金属，如银，钛和钢，但是研究认为會继续使用额外的材料。

The leather industry needs to continue to stress that none of the materials described in the above paragraphs can accurately be described as leather, which is still a powerful marketing term, and any attempts to undermine the definition and description of leather should be resisted.

皮革行业需要继续强调的是以上段落所提及的材料都不能准确地描述为皮革，这仍然是一个强有力的营销术语，任何企图破坏皮革定义和描述都应该受到抵制。

Question 10:Facing with so many challenges, can the tanning industry still have a bright future?

面对这样的挑战，制革行业还能有一个光明的未来吗？

The current market situation and trends make looking into the future rather difficult, but the overall situation is that raw material supplies – though finite – will continue to grow slowly over the coming years. With population growth and rising living standards, especially in Asia, it would be expected that demand will return. While footwear is likely to take a smaller proportion of total finished leather, there is the prospect that the absolute total will remain stable. Production of leathergoods is most likely to increase steadily, while car upholstery, albeit with a slower growth rate is still likely to grow slowly. The other broad sectors are likely to be fairly stable, although there may be some growth within specialist niches.

当前的市场形势和趋势使得展望未来变得相当困难，但总体情况是，原材料供应——尽管有限——将在未来几年继续缓慢增长。随着人口增长和生活水平的提高，尤其是在亚洲，预计人们需求将会恢复。虽然鞋类在成品皮革使用中中所占比例可能较小，但绝对总量仍将保持稳定。皮革制品的生產最有可能稳步增长，而汽车内饰，尽管增长速度较慢，但仍有可能缓慢增长。其他广泛的领域可能相当稳定，尽管在专业领域可能会有一些增长。

Looking from another perspective, the future for the high quality end of the market looks positive, and it is interesting to see more and more quality brands investing in tanneries to secure their long term raw material supplies. It seems that luxury products will always be in demand.

从另一个角度来看，高端市场的前景看起来是积极的，看到越来越多的优质品牌投资于制革厂，以确保原材料的长期供应，这是很有趣的。奢侈品似乎总銷路都很好。

For companies producing lower grades of leather, life is likely to become difficult, with growing competition from synthetics and alternative materials, and these companies may struggle to maintain their margins.

对于生产低檔皮革的公司来说，生活很可能会变得困难，因为来自合成材料和替代材料的竞争日益激烈，这些公司可能难以维持利润。

Those companies producing the mid to upper quality ranges of leather will face significant threats and opportunities. They will face the same challenges from alternative materials but need to take a positive approach to promoting and selling the qualities of leather, along with its environmental credentials and its potential to add value to the finished products. In this context, the whole industry and its associations need to work together to maintain the image and cache of leather, along with its authenticity, in terms of accurate product labelling and designation.

那些生产中高档皮革系列的公司将面临巨大的威胁和机遇。他们将面临来自替代材料的挑战，但需要采取积极的方式来推广和销售皮革的性質，以及它的环保资质，以及它为成品增加价值的潜力。在这种情况下，整个行业及其协会需要共同努力，以精準的产品标签和标识来緩存和维护皮革的形象，以及它的可靠性。

Question 11: In addition to the major markets like the U.S. EU, Eastern Asian countries, are there still any countries or regions that have great potential for leather sales?

除了像美国欧盟、东亚国家这样的主要市场，还有哪些国家或地区有很大的皮革销售潜力？

This needs to be considered as two separate questions, although they are related. There are the markets for consumer products, which is where the spending power is, and the markets for leather, where leather products are fabricated, historically based primarily on low labour costs.

这需要作为两个单独的问题来考虑，尽管它们是相关的。消费产品市场是消费型的市场，而皮革产品则是制造皮革的市场，而皮革产品的市场历来主要基于低廉的劳动力成本。

The main areas for the growth of consumer markets would still appear to be in South East Asia, while Africa remains a prospect for growth in the long term. One area not to be ignored is Russia and Eastern Europe, where it appears that demand for consumer products significantly exceeds supply. South America will grow as a consumer market, but the region already has a strong production base.

消费市场增长的主要领域仍将出现在东南亚，而非洲仍有望在长期内实现增长。一个不被忽视的领域是俄罗斯和东欧，在那里，对消费品的需求明显超过了供给。南美将成为一个消费市场，但该地区已经拥有强大的生产基地。

As regards markets for leather, the main areas of growth are currently those around the periphery of China – (such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia) but the main long term markets are predicted to be in Africa, as the low labour costs attract leather product manufacturers, with the current main focus being Ethiopia.

至于皮革市场,主要的增长地区目前圍繞在中国的边缘-(如越南、柬埔寨、孟加拉、印度尼西亚)但主要的长期市场预计在非洲,低廉的劳动力成本吸引皮革产品制造商,当前重点是埃塞俄比亚。

Question 12: Any suggestions for Tehchang specifically in this fiercely competitive industry?

在这个竞争激烈的行业里，对德昌有什么建议？

The company should continue to do what it is already doing, but continually look at what it is doing and how it is doing it – and look ahead at what is likely to happen next.

德昌应该继续做它已经在做的事情，但是要不断地观察公司在做什么以及是如何做的——并展望接下来可能发生的事情。

The company needs to maintain a regular, constructive and positive dialogue with existing and potential suppliers and customers throughout the supply and distribution chain, so that the whole chain knows what the company is doing and understands the quality and the properties of the leather produced.

Tehchang tanneries need to ensure that they are operating in a way that is environmentally, socially and ethically responsible, and that investments in these areas are cost effective. The company should be monitoring its performance in these areas and be prepared to report the results.

公司需要在整个供应链中与现有的和潜在的供应商和客户保持定期的、建设性的和积极的对话，这样整个供应链就能知道公司在做什么，并了解生产的皮革的质量和性能。

德昌制革厂需要确保他们的经营方式是对环境、社会和道德负责的，而且在这些领域的投资是有成本效益的。该公司应该监控其在这些领域的表现，并准备报告结果。