Frequently Asked Questions

LWG Assurance Services (LWG AS) is a not-for-profit entity that was created to provide audit services aimed at leather manufacturing facilities seeking certification to the Leather Working Group Standards. Learn more here.

No. LWG AS is an independent certification and assurance partner delivering audits to the Leather Working Group Standards. It is a separate legal entity from Leather Working Group.

Your latest audit report forms the foundation for continuous improvement and cost reduction across your business. If your company adopts the protocols in your management systems, this can result in reductions in chemical costs, improved production consistency, and lower utility usage. 

The objective of LWG AS is to maintain the highest standards of consistency, transparency, impartiality, and trust in support of Leather Working Group Standards. As an independent entity, LWG AS can deliver impartial and consistent certification services.

LWG AS provides one point of contact for LWG certification, greater availability of auditors, transparent audit fees, and consistency of audits. It also allows for alignment with ISO 17065.

LWG AS builds on existing knowledge and expertise, providing public-facing governance and policies, as well as independent violation and grievance processes.

All audits need to be applied for via LWG Assurance Services here.

No. All audits need to be applied for via LWG Assurance Services here.

Yes. All auditors will still be trained and approved to Leather Working Group standards with LWG AS building on the robust assurance processes already in place.

LWG remains the owner of the standards and sets the requirements for certification against them.

The list of certified suppliers will continue to be published on the Leather Working Group website.

Being audited using the Leather Manufacturer Audit Protocol (LMAP) does not mean that a facility is eligible for a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal rating. To receive a medal rating, a subcontractor must have produced at least 5 percent of its own leather during the audit data period. This threshold ensures that any medal awarded is based on a meaningful and representative volume of the facility’s own leather production. Where the proportion of own leather production is below 5 percent, the audit score remains valid, but no Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal rating can be awarded. The absence of a medal rating does not indicate poor performance; it reflects the scheme’s eligibility requirements and the limited proportion of leather produced directly by the facility. These requirements are applied consistently to facilities worldwide, so customers purchasing leather from the facility should understand that a score without a medal reflects its production profile and applicable certification category, rather than its audit performance. If the facility produces at least 5 percent of its own leather during a future audit data period, its eligibility for a medal rating will be assessed at the next audit.

The audit protocol is determined by the activities and processes undertaken at your facility, rather than solely by how the business describes itself commercially. A subcontractor whose operational scope meets the criteria of a full-category leather manufacturer generally must be assessed using the Leather Manufacturer Audit Protocol (LMAP). This ensures that all relevant manufacturing processes, environmental impacts and management controls are assessed using the appropriate requirements. The outcome of the audit, if successful, would be a score, there is no medal rating for 100 percent subcontractors. A subcontractor producing more than 95 percent of subcontracted leather will receive a valid audit score only, without a medal rating. A subcontractor producing less than 95 percent of subcontracted leather (producing 5 percent or more of its own leather) will receive a valid score, and a medal rating.

Yes – please click here to contact LWG AS.