Meatco bets on leather to keep more wealth in Namibia
Meatco’s Okapuka Tannery has completed its latest sustainability audit by the Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF), as the company seeks to strengthen the position of Namibian leather in premium international markets while retaining more value from the country’s livestock sector.
Meatco said the milestone was an important step in aligning its leather operations with internationally recognised environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, while strengthening the traceability and responsible production of its products.
The Sustainable Leather Foundation is an international not-for-profit organisation that promotes responsible and sustainable practices across the global leather value chain. Its assessment framework evaluates leather-producing facilities against environmental, social and governance criteria, providing a benchmark for responsible production and transparency.
Meatco interim chief executive Albertus Aochamub said the successful audit demonstrated Namibia’s capacity to compete in premium global markets by combining local resources with responsible production and greater value addition.
“This milestone is about more than compliance. It demonstrates that Namibia can transform its livestock resources into premium, traceable and responsibly produced products that meet the expectations of international markets,” Aochamub said.
“Our ambition is to ensure that greater value from every animal remains in Namibia.”
Longer-term ambitions
Okapuka Tannery processes locally sourced, traceable Namibian cattle hides into full-substance wet blue leather. The leather is exported to markets including Italy, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Ghana, while Meatco is pursuing additional opportunities in the European Union, SADC, AfCFTA and Asian markets.
The tannery’s products are used in industries including automotive manufacturing, furniture and garments.
For Meatco, however, the longer-term ambition extends beyond exporting wet blue leather.
Aochamub said the company wanted to move progressively further up the leather value chain by developing opportunities to produce finished leather and other higher-value products in Namibia.
“We must move beyond exporting intermediate products and unlock more value here at home. Finished leather and other higher-value products present opportunities for industrialisation, jobs, export earnings and stronger returns from Namibia’s livestock sector,” he said.
The strategy reflects a broader effort to generate greater economic value from Namibia’s livestock industry rather than exporting raw or semi-processed products and importing higher-value finished goods.
Expanding downstream processing could create additional industrial activity, employment and export earnings while strengthening links between livestock production and manufacturing.
The sustainability audit comes as international markets place increasing emphasis on environmental responsibility, traceability and ethical production across global supply chains.
For Namibian producers and processors seeking access to these markets, meeting recognised sustainability standards can therefore play an important role in maintaining competitiveness and building confidence among buyers and consumers.
Meatco said the achievement supports its broader strategy of maximising value from Namibia’s livestock resources and contributes to national development priorities under Vision 2030 and NDP6, particularly in industrialisation, value addition, export growth and employment creation.
With established international markets and plans to expand into new regions, Meatco is positioning the tannery as a link between Namibia’s livestock producers and the global leather industry, which increasingly demands products that are commercially competitive, traceable and responsibly produced.
