People
Management approach.
At the heart of our business purpose is a concern for the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, contractors and the communities that surround our manufacturing sites; something on which we will never compromise.
Through their unique skillsets, knowledge and commitment, they form the foundation for what we do and the way that we do it.
Health & safety and colleague wellbeing.
Our colleagues' wellbeing is critical to a productive and engaged workforce and to social gain. As part of our strategy to improve health and safety and the wellbeing of our colleagues, we conduct internal surveys, including a biannual Health and Safety Climate Survey and our Pulse Colleague Engagement Survey.
We are very proud to have achieved Leather Working Group and RoSPA Gold standard status and successfully completed SMETA audit in 2022, in accordance with globally recognised good practice. These audits have confirmed high standards of labour, health and safety, environmental performance, and ethics across all of our business and operations. We are now a Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework employer. SCQF helps employers understand different types of qualifications and supports effective recruitment and workforce development.
"We take pride in colleague wellbeing"
Inclusion & diversity.
We continue to increase our efforts to retain and attract diverse talent at all levels and raise awareness of the many career opportunities that exist at Scottish Leather Group. As a result of our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) audit in 2023, a number of key actions have been undertaken, including EDI training for all colleagues, launching stay interviews and hosting webinars on subjects that have affected colleagues personally, such as the menopause and transgender awareness.
We actively encourage a diverse applicant base and progression within the Company. In 2023, we recruited a female non-executive chair and promoted two females, one to the Senior Leadership team and the other to the Executive Board.
Our commitment to EDI translates to the products we produce, with one of our creative designers championing sensory-friendly products for our aircraft customers. Products made from our leather can be used to support neurodivergent passengers during their flight.
Talent, lifelong learning & craftsmanship.
We are very proud of our Academy, which was launched in 2012 to develop apprentices across Manufacturing, Production and Maintenance Engineering.
We continue to pioneer the leather industry’s first recognised vocational qualifications, certified by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), which are building skills that benefit the whole manufacturing sector.
We are delighted that our apprenticeship now supports the development of our colleagues in lifelong learning, including Graduate Apprenticeships, and since November 2023, we have enrolled 81 apprentices.
In 2025, we celebrated the development of four additional Engineering Apprentices through our Scottish Leather Group Academy, bringing the total number of Engineering Apprentices to 31 since 2012. We continue to develop talent, supporting colleagues in Graduate Apprenticeships and through our Coaching Academy programme. We also launched our Six Sigma development programme, training colleagues across our operations. Additionally, we have supported our colleagues to achieve SVQ levels 2 or 3 in leather manufacturing. This brings our total number of SVQ-qualified colleagues to 227 since the Academy opened in 2012.
Innovation through community.
The Group’s innovation shapes not only how we make leather, but how we connect with the world around us. We deepened our investment in creative, educational, and community-led initiatives, working alongside schools, charities, and local groups to spark meaningful, long-lasting impact and develop the talent of the future. From pioneering Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) projects to celebrating the arts, our commitment to innovation has guided every step of our community strategy.
Whether through supporting Bridge of Weir Primary with their robotics competition, sponsoring local football teams and 10K runs, we have shown that innovation isn’t just about technology – it’s about opportunity, optimism, and openness. We are proud of the creativity and energy our colleagues bring to these efforts, and grateful to every partner, school, and young person we have worked with this year.
To find out more about the initiatives we support, please read our 2025 ESG Report.
ESG Report.
Our annual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report summarises our activities, commitments and innovation agenda. All supporting and driving us towards a more sustainable future.