It is a member of Confindustria, Cotance the European Confederation of Tanners and ICT the International Council of Tanners. The Italian tanning industry employs 17,612 people in about 1,200 companies. It's annual turnover is5 billion Euros and it has always been considered to be the worlds leading industry thanks to its high level of technological development and quality, its outstanding environmental commitment and its ability to innovate in terms of stylistic design. The industry is made up, more or less, of small-medium-sized companies, which are mainly located in specialized districts divided up by the type of processing and the destination of the goods.