Turkish leather manufacturers perform leather production by using cattle, sheep clothing, sheep fur, and goat skins (source: TR Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, Leather Sector).
This post is about leather manufacture rather than leather goods production. I aimed to show you where you can find Turkish leather manufacturers. Despite the fact that these companies also create leather goods, exporters of Turkish leather goods are the subject of another post. As a result, I concentrated solely on Turkish leather manufacturers and the Turkish leather processing sector.
If you want to learn about the top Turkish manufacturers in a variety of industries, I recommend reading “The Comprehensive Guide to Turkey Sourcing: Top Turkish Manufacturers and Industries.”
Contents
- 1 Strong Leather Processing Despite Insufficient Raw Leather
- 2 Top Turkish Leather Manufacturers
- 3 Employment in the Turkish Leather Industry
- 4 Why has the Turkish leather industry grown so rapidly?
- 5 Turkish Leather Manufacturers’ Exports
- 6 Imports of Turkish Leather Companies
- 7 Related Post
- 8 FAQ on Turkish Leather Manufacturers
Strong Leather Processing Despite Insufficient Raw Leather
Because raw leather is insufficient in Turkey, Turkish leather manufacturers heavily import raw and semi-processed leather. They then process them, adding value to the products, and sell them primarily to northern countries. Despite the fact that Turkish leather manufacturers mostly employ imported leather raw materials, they have begun to export substantial quantities of leather products every year in the previous 15 years.
Top Turkish Leather Manufacturers
The best way to find the whole list of Turkish leather manufacturers is to look at the members on the Turkish Leather Industrialists Association web site. There are 52 leather and leather goods manufacturing companies in total.
Please keep in mind that we have already recorded and reviewed all of these businesses. Some companies manufacture processed leather as a garment material; others manufacture leather garments such as fur; and others produce leather bags or shoes.
As Pelotek, we can help you collect price quotes based on your specifications, or we can help you with translation services. Check out the Turkish manufacturers’ price quote service. Before you place an order, please tell us the amount of leather you want to buy, where you intend to use the leather, the quality of leather you want (split leather or complete leather), whether you want coloring, and where you want it shipped to so that we can calculate the shipment.
Employment in the Turkish Leather Industry
Turkish leather manufacturers are generally concentrated in Istanbul-Tuzla, Izmir-Menemen, Tekirdağ-Çorlu, Uşak, Bursa, Balıkesir-Gönen, Bolu-Gerede, Isparta, Hatay, and Manisa-Kula. According to the data announced by the Social Security Institution for 2021, there are 7,086 companies, large and small, in the leather and leather products sector, and 71,685 people are employed.
Why has the Turkish leather industry grown so rapidly?
Countries like France, Italy, and Spain have gradually started to move away from leather processing due to the environmental harm that tannery operations cause. Turkish leather manufacturers filled the gap, and numerous tanneries were established throughout Turkey.
However, Turkish leather manufacturers began to feel the same strain as European enterprises. Turkey and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change signed an “Environmental Protocol” in 1994. According to the protocol, businesses in the leather sector should either be located in any structured industrial zone with a purification system or develop their own purification systems.
As a result, all of the Turkish leather manufacturers either have a purification system or operate in an organized industrial zone. I found an interesting video in Turkish. The video shows the operation of a tannery in Corlu, Turkey. If you watch the video, you will better see why Europeans avoid this job. Here is the video for processing leather.
Turkish Leather Manufacturers’ Exports
In 2021, Turkish leather and leather products exports climbed by 38.6% to 1.9 billion dollars. Shoes are the sector’s most important export item, accounting for 56.9% of total exports. Leather goods, raw and processed leather products, and furs account for 21.7%, 13.3%, and 8% of the country’s total exports, respectively (source: Turkish Ministry of Commerce General Directorate of Export, Leather and Leather Products Sector Report).
Leading Turkish Leather Shoes
The shoe sector accounts for 1.1 million dollars and 56.9% of total leather and leather product exports from Turkey. In 2021, Turkish leather shoe exports totaled 466.8 million dollars. Russia is the most important export market for the Turkish leather shoe sector, accounting for 14.9% of total exports. Germany, Romania, Spain, England, and Italy are also key markets.
Exporting Destinations
Turkey sells leather clothing mostly to Germany, the United States, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, and the Netherlands, among other countries. These countries purchased 141.6 million dollars in leather clothing in 2021.
Imports of Turkish Leather Companies
Turkish leather manufacturers are dependent on imports due to the inadequacy of standard raw leather production and are affected by raw leather prices. Türkiye imported leather worth 1.1 million dollars in 2020. Half of the total leather imports are for the leather shoe industry.
Related Post
Turkish leather manufacturers play a vital role in the Turkish garment industry. In order to understand the sector better, we recommend visiting the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers page, which offers thorough information and official statistics regarding the Turkish ready-made clothing business.