From October 2026 Indonesia extends mandatory Halal certification to the textile and leather goods sector, including bags and leather accessories. For an Italian company that exports to, or manufactures under licence in, this country, the implications are immediate and concrete. Here is what changes and which steps to take.
From October 2026, Indonesia makes Halal certification mandatory for the textile and fabric products sector, including the manufacture of bags and bovine leather goods. This was reported by Voice of Indonesia (rri.co.id, 4 September 2026), citing the new obligations under Indonesia's mandatory Halal certification legislation. The measure no longer concerns only food — already the focus of earlier regulatory deadlines — but now extends to a completely different product range, with direct consequences for those who make or export leather, textile and related goods to Indonesia.
Italy is one of the world's leading producers of leather goods. Bags, belts, wallets, shoes and bovine leather accessories are often made from slaughter by-products. That is exactly where the critical point lies: from a Halal perspective, bovine leather must come from animals slaughtered according to the Islamic ritual. If the leather used is not of certified Halal origin, the finished product cannot obtain certification and cannot be sold on the Indonesian market without facing customs holds or penalties.
For an Italian fashion and leather goods company that sells in Indonesia, or intends to, this means tracing checks back along the whole supply chain: from the origin of the raw hides, through tanning and processing, to the finished product.
Experience with Indonesia's Halal deadlines for the food sector shows that companies that move early obtain certification with manageable timescales and costs. Those who wait until the last minute face queues at certification bodies, urgent documentation requests to suppliers and, in the worst case, shipments held at customs in Jakarta or Surabaya.
It should also be borne in mind that Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world: shutting yourself out of this market for lack of certification is not a neutral choice. It means ceding ground to competitors — Turkish, Chinese, Vietnamese — who are already gearing up to meet the new requirements.
A common mistake, even among well-established companies, is to think that a vegan certification or a declaration that a product contains no animal derivatives is equivalent to Halal certification. It is not. As Halal Times also made clear in an in-depth article published in September 2026, the two standards follow different criteria: vegan excludes animal derivatives, while Halal certifies their permissibility according to Islamic requirements. A synthetic leather bag could be vegan but not Halal if non-compliant chemicals were used in processing; conversely, Halal-certified bovine leather is not vegan. One does not replace the other.
HQC Italia issues Halal certification for Islamic markets, with active recognitions in more than 50 countries, including Indonesia through BPJPH. The first step is to request a free quote, available within 24 hours of your request, to find out which product categories fall within the certifiable scope and which supply chain adjustments may be needed.
The full news story is available on HalalFocus — Textile Industry Prepares for Mandatory Halal Certification in 2026.
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