Following consumer demand, the International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF) introduced the Origin Assured ™ label (OA™), a new fur labeling programme, as part of its commitment to openness and transparency.

 

The programme began at the fur auction house in December 2006 when for the first time OA™ furs were sorted and sold separately at the auctions. In the second half of 2007, the programme was launched to the public and OA™ furs are now appearing in retail shops. 

 

Cotecna’s role involves intervention at the OA™ label member level; i.e. retailers wholesalers & manufacturers that are associates of fur trade associations and who have signed up to the scheme. The process involves tracing back documentation through the supply chain back to the original fur auction house. Cotecna defined the monitoring process for the IFTF and designed the handbook to be issued to all members who sign up for the programme.

 

The Cotecna offices currently involved in this project are: Barcelona, Düsseldorf, London, Milan, Hong Kong and those in the US but as the project expands will involve Cotecna offices worldwide.  In August 2007, Cotecna UK ran short courses for their Coordinators from each Cotecna office involved in the pilot scheme who were then responsible for training inspectors and contact with local fur trade associations.  

 

The OA™ label informs consumers that the fur or fur product comes from a country where national or local regulations or standards governing fur production are in force. The OA™ programme is a joint initiative between International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF) and the auction houses American Legend Cooperative, Finnish Fur Sales, Kopenhagen Fur and North American Fur Auctions.