Smit & Zoon is a 7th generation family-owned business. The company started out in 1821 and has since grown into a worldwide renowned player, which sustainably develops solutions for the leather industry. Our customers are active in industries such as Automotive, high-end Fashion, and Upholstery, where sustainability is of the utmost importance. Globally, Smit & Zoon has over 400 employees. Our headquarters is in Weesp, the Netherlands. Smit & Zoon also has offices in Germany, Italy, China, India, and Mexico.
Family values as a source of strength
Family values, beliefs and ambitions represent the driving forces behind a culture of sustainability. The drivers of a family business like Smit & Zoon are a long-term commitment, a minimum of hierarchy and the speed of implementation. Smit & Zoon is flexibly seizing the opportunities of the changes taking place worldwide, meanwhile creating strong and sustainable value for their stakeholders and for society.
In itself, leather is a sustainable product by origin because it is a by-product from the meat industry. The leather industry is creating a unique material from a skin that would otherwise mostly end up as landfill. The leather industry is a highly regulated industry with responsible value chain partners manufacturing leather under tightly controlled auditing programs that are supportive to raise the standard of modern leather manufacturing. Fashion brands increasingly source leather from leather manufacturers audited according to these standards and increasingly demand them to use chemicals that are certified according to the ZDHC levels. The growing importance of these standards is crucial for the leather industry to ensure that brands, designers and consumers value leather as a sustainable and unique material. Smit & Zoon is a proud active supporter and collaborator with global standards in order to create a leather value chain that is as sustainable as possible.