The 2024 APLF exhibition started in Hong Kong on March 19, with over 700 exhibitors , including 17 national pavilions.

The eagerly anticipated show, celebrating it’s 40th anniversary, returned to Hong Kong after five years, following the pandemic restrictions and lock downs.

At the press conference during the first day of the show, APLF director David Bondi expressed his happiness in welcoming the leather industry back to Hong Kong.

Mr Bondi explained that since the last edition of APLF in Hong Kong, the leather industry has faced numerous challenges. Sluggish demand and an oversupply of raw materials due to increased beef consumption in developing countries has weighed on the market causing lower volumes and prices for tanners, in addition to this he cited the deforestation regulations as “putting further pressure on margins”.