On the morning of October 18, 2023, the 37th International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) Congress opened with great pomp in Chengdu, China. More than 400 individuals from the global leather industry, including scientists, experts, technologists, as well as professionals and media representatives from various sectors within the industry, gathered together for mutual exchanges, discussions, and seminars regarding the latest technological trends and development directions in the world of leather technology. This congress received significant attention from the global leather community. Distinguished leaders and technologists participated, enriching the content of discussions, and the venue was elegantly arranged, shining with the brilliant light of leather technology throughout.

Vice President of the China Light Industry Federation and Chairman of China Leather Industry Association, Yuzhong Li, along with Vice President of Sichuan University, Liangyin Chu, and Vice President of IULTCS, Joan-Carles Castell, delivered speeches. They warmly congratulated the conference on its convening, praised the achievements of leather technology in driving industry development, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the hard work of the many technologists, and extended their best wishes for the conference's complete success. Zhangguang Chen, Vice Chairman of China Leather Industry Association, presided over the opening ceremony.

During the opening ceremony, an award ceremony was held for the presentation of the "IULTCS Leather Industry Excellence Award" for the year 2023. The award was presented to Professor Jianzhong Ma from Shaanxi University of Science and Technology.

After the opening ceremony, Professor Yujia Xu from Hunter College, City University of New York, delivered the "Heidemann Lecture" titled "Advances in research of collagen-like peptides: from triple helices to fibrils". The presentation covered various aspects, including the unique structure of collagen and recent advancements in collagen application research.

The theme of this conference is "Innovations Make Leather Irreplaceable." The conference is organized by the China Leather Industry Association and hosted by the School of Biomass Science and Engineering at Sichuan University. The conference includes a total of 46 oral presentations, with 18 from international speakers, as well as 15 rapid presentations and 95 poster presentations. More than 140 leather technology professionals from research institutions and companies worldwide will share their latest research findings in eight areas, including Advances in leather science basic research, Sustainable technologies for leather manufacture, and more.