Tannery of the Year hopes to add shoemaking capabilities
The Ethiopian Tannery Share Company, winner of the 2009 Tannery of the Year competition for its commitment to corporate social responsibility, may soon extend its activity to footwear manufacturer, its chief executive has said.
Reg Hankey, chief executive of Pittards, the company that took over ownership of the tannery from the Ethiopian government last year, was a speaker at the 2010 Beast to Beauty conference in London.
He said the Ethiopian government has placed great emphasis on educating its people, something the tannery supports in its local community by offering transportation and meals to local teachers, but that it knew that education can only take people out of poverty if they have jobs to go to.
“The government is looking to basic industries to help, and leather is part of that,” Mr Hankey said. “That won't change because Ethiopia has the tenth largest animal population in the world, so the resource is there.”
He confirmed that the government wanted established companies such as his to help it create more jobs. Asked how the tannery could achieve this, he said: “Shoes, shoes, shoes. We are seriously contemplating whether we can make shoes in Ethiopia.”
