3 September 2025
ACLE to Unite China’s Leather Industry
Despite Economic and Geopolitical Headwinds
The 25th edition of ACLE takes place from 3–5 September 2025 at the New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) in Shanghai. The fair occupies seven halls, covering 80,500 square metres, and hosts around 1,000 exhibitors from both China and overseas.
Exhibitors represent 27 countries and regions, supported by 17 national pavilions including Australia, Brazil (2), China (Fuxin, Haining, Pingyu, Wuji, Xinji, Susong, Zhaoyuan, Guanghe), France, Italy, Pakistan, Spain, Taiwan and Uzbekistan.
ACLE remains China’s leading leather industry event. Visitors can source everything from raw hides to finished leather, specialist chemicals, and manufacturing components. The fair covers the tanning, footwear, fashion accessories, automotive, and furniture sectors. It offers a premier platform for tracking global sourcing trends and meeting top suppliers.
This year’s build-up has been overshadowed by uncertainty stemming from the US “reciprocal tariff” policy. These measures have dented confidence in global trade, leather included. Yet ACLE’s organisers, APLF Ltd and the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), stress that the show has navigated crises before. Since its 1998 launch it has weathered the 2000 dot-com crash, the 2008–2009 financial crisis, the collapse in hide prices, and the post-pandemic market turbulence when it returned in 2023.
The fair’s track record breeds confidence that ACLE will endure the current tariff war and continue serving the leather industries of China and Southeast Asia.
Economic backdrop
Since 2 April, when President Trump announced sweeping import tariffs on all US trade partners, commercial activity has been disrupted. This has slowed production planning in apparel, leather, leather goods, and footwear.
Both industry and consumers are adjusting to this “new reality”. The following table gives a snapshot of key economic indicators for major consumer markets:
| Economic Data June / July 2025 |
| Selected Countries/ Regions | Population | GDP | Manufacturing PMI | Consumer |
| China | 1.4 bn | +5.4 | 49.7 | +86 |
| Euro Area | 450 mln | +1.5 | 49.5 | -0.78 |
| ASEAN | 672 mln | +4.4 (Q1) | 49.2 | Mixed |
| USA | 335 mln | +2.0 | 52.9 | 60.7 |
| India | 1.5 bn | +7.4 | 58.4 | 95.4 |
Sources: Trading Economics, S + P Global
Asian economies are performing better than those in the West. China’s GDP growth in the second quarter of 2025 was confirmed at 5.2 per cent. This reinforces its position as ACLE’s main growth market.
Leather demand in China
The US has traditionally supplied Chinese tanneries with raw, wet-salted, and semi-finished hides. Tariffs have made these imports uncompetitive, opening the door for other exporting nations.
The CLIA half yearly report for 2025 indicates that China’s imports of raw hides and semi-finished leather slowed in this period due to weaker domestic and international demand for leather products.
However, Leatherbiz Market Intelligence (22 July) notes continued investment in raw materials, with an emphasis on lower-priced hides. Prices are at record lows due to oversupply, enabling China to secure materials cheaply.
In H1 2025, China imported:
- 707,000 tons of raw hides, an decrease of 6.2% from the last year. Such imports amounted to US$ 580 million, decreasing by 16.4% over the previous year
- Import of semi-finished leather were 313,000 tons in quantity, and US$ 470 million in value, up by 1.7% and down 10.8% respectively over the previous year.
- Import of finished leather were 18,000 tones in quantity, and US$ 280 million in value, down by 16.5% and 19.2% respectively over the previous year.
Despite fluctuating demand in H1 2025 due to external circumstances, China remains Asia’s main importer of leather of all types offering ample export opportunities to other leather producing nations.
China’s booming vehicle market
CAAM reports total vehicle sales in H1 2025 rose 11.4% to 15.65 million units. NEV sales surged 40% to 6.94 million units. June saw the year’s highest sales, driven by EV demand and competition between brands such as BYD and Geely. Passenger car sales are up 18.6% year-on-year and 13.9% month-on-month.
In both 2023 and 2024, sales surpassed 31 million units. Midway through 2025, this record is likely to be broken. Around 20–25% of new vehicles are fitted with leather seating, equivalent to 6–7 million units annually. This, along with furniture and upholstery, remains a strong driver of leather demand.
Ancillary and parallel events
ACLE 2025 will be supported by conferences, seminars, workshops, and fashion shows. These sessions, open to all, feature industry experts offering insights that can guide strategic decisions.
This year, the third edition of the International Tanning Industry Executive Summit will be held on the afternoon of Day 1 of ACLE on the Main Stage. Presentations will be made on the leather industries of China, USA, Brazil, Pakistan with a special contribution from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The complete Event Agenda, with date, time and location, can be viewed on the fair’s web site: www.aclechina.com.
CLIA is also launching Moda China, run alongside ACLE, aimed at Chinese footwear brands and OEM suppliers. The crossover of visitors is expected to bring greater traffic and business opportunities to both shows.
Additionally, the UITIC Congress for footwear manufacturers and technicians was successfully held in Shanghai. Delegates will also visit ACLE and Moda China.
This press release can be read in conjunction with the CLIA report on H1 activity in China’s leather sector that will also be presented during the press conference.
The 2026 edition of ACLE will be held at the Shanghai International Exhibition Centre (SNIEC) from 1 – 3 September 2026. For more information, please visit www.aclechina.com
