let's talk... vegan leather
hey friends…
before we embark on our journey to learn more about vegan leathers
let’s start with transparency
i am a product developer by trade
in bags, small leather goods, tech cases, and footwear
long story short, i have a 15+ year history of making dope shit with leather, faux leathers, and textiles
i am biased
my bias is towards leather
i’m not against leather substitutes
but i definitely prefer natural leather for many reasons
not only the natural beauty of leather
but also its long lifespan and durability
that being said
i have also personally given up eating beef and pork over the last few years
i've also drastically reduced my dairy consumption
that was a personal decision i made for my own health
i eat vegetarian and vegan dishes fairly often as well
i am weary of meat-like alternatives
same as with materials, i am very weary of alternatives for leather
taking all of that into account, let’s explore…
being more conscious of what we purchase is the purpose of capsule wardrobing
if we can be more eco-friendly, that is a bonus
vegan leather and plant based leathers are increasingly popular as a way to be more eco-friendly
so
goods made with leather alternatives should be something we at least consider adding to our capsules
capsule wardrobing in itself is a eco-friendly consumption practice
lowering your overall consumption reduces your overall waste
also, we encourage buying and selling gently used items
when purchasing new items, buying high quality goods
and when your tastes changes
donating those high quality goods to friends, family, and/or charity so they can be reused or recycled
so what is a sustainable material?
it's such a buzzword and honestly, extremely overused
let’s explore what a sustainable material actually is
the purpose of sustainable materials is to reduce or eliminate the depletion of natural, non-renewable resources; reduce or eliminate harm to the environment; and, eliminate socially irresponsible, and unethical labor practices
sustainable leathers for accessories, footwear, and even jewelry, are divided into three categories:
- animal leather
- vegan leather
- plastic-free vegan leather
all of these with different levels of sustainability
first, let’s discuss animal leather
with the trend of millennials and younger folx consuming less animal meat and dairy
you would think the consumption rates would drop dramatically enough to disrupt leather production
but they have not
the majority of the united states still eats the types of animal meat that yields leather skins
and consumes animal dairy
so with that said, the meat and diary industries are going nowhere anytime soon
unfortunately
animal hides are not the main purpose of raising these animals, they are a co-product of an already unsustainable industry
sadly, animal hides will end up as waste if not used by the leather industry
but the leather industry is no superman
they aren't coming to the rescue
the leather industry yields billions of dollars yearly
bovine hides are a huge export for the united states
most hides used for european, south american, and asian leathers are purchased from the united states
if made into quality goods, they can last for years, possibly generations, before they end up as waste
that durability does add tremendously to the sustainability of leather
let's level set
the meat, leather, and dairy industries are terrible for the environment
this is fact
there is no disputing that
how to make natural leather more sustainable?
limit the amount of leather good production to only the skins produced by the meat industry
using ethical practices to finish the leather for use by socially ethical tanneries
as the meat consumption reduces, so should the amount of available skins
unfortunately, that may increase the cost of leather…
le sigh
but it will be better for the environment
unfortunately, another hitch
there is no direct way for a customer to know if natural leather is finished ethically
you can tell a bit by the price
ethical finishing is more expensive, therefore goods tend to be more expensive
and you can ask the brands directly if their leather uses ethical tanning methods
hopefully they tell the truth
chrome finished leathers are the most popular
these tend to be used in lower priced leather goods and mass market leather goods
chrome finished leathers are very harmful to the environment
chromium is used to finish the leather and creates an incredible amount of harmful waste
hard to avoid, but you can be mindful
a layman’s trick to find out if a leather is finished naturally or synthetically, is to smell the leather
i know
gross…
but leather should actually smell like an animal, not like chemicals, rubber, or metal
or without a smell at all
it should have a smell
leather should also wear in over time
it should age gracefully
if years have passed, and your product shows no signs of wear and tear
it’s probably finished using less sustainable methods
to solve this dilemma
and frankly to counteract the loss of market share caused by the influx of vegan leather
several brands have partnered with leather suppliers to make leather hide processing more sustainable
many tanneries are now audited by the “leather working group” and meet a standard for energy, water use, emissions, chemical input, and traceability of their supply chain
even non-vegetable tanning are moving to more sustainable tanning methods
using less chrome and heavy metal reduced or heavy metal free
my suggestion?
invest in high quality vegetable or responsibly tanned goods
also, to follow your capsule wardrobe parameters and principles
if your leather goods are properly maintained
your items can last practically forever, and be reused by multiple parties, which sustainable, right?
right
the second option
(which is so popular that i’m writing a whole article about it, is…)
vegan leather!!!
duh duh duh
lol
leather like material not using animal skins has been labeled, in the last few years, as vegan leather
a few years prior, this was called faux leather, a few years prior, it was called something far less attractive
pleather
the vegan leather industry is slated to be as large as the natural leather industry within this decade
like faux fur, you will not be harming animals
there are other concerns, however
if your top concern is harming animals, then vegan leather is completely fine
if your top concern is not harming the environment or a mix of the two
well then
houston! we have a problem!
similar environmental issues exist in vegan leather as in natural leather
so if we save all of the animal skins, great
but
the mere creation of vegan leather using plastics and chemicals to mimic the appearance of natural leathers, is just as harmful for the environment
why?
synthetic materials and synthetic material waste from clothing and accessories are a main source of plastic ocean pollution
the production of a very common vegan leather is called pvc (polyvinyl chloride) is extremely harmful
pvc is not biodegradable
pvc is made using fossil fuels
pvc has an extremely negative impact on our air, soil, and water
when you consider the negative impact on the environment
sorry
vegan leather is not more sustainable than natural leather
it’s pretty even actually
especially, if looking at leather production separate from meat production
these materials should NOT be marketed as eco-friendly, or biodegradable
beyond the chemicals, fossil fuel, metals, and plastics used to actually make the leather
for those vegan leathers on the worst end of the spectrum
the materials are cheaply made
and will end up in landfills and will emit toxins to the earth, air, and water when they begin to decay
buyer beware for low quality faux leathers
there are reused alternatives to natural leather that are also being marked sustainable
many using recycled unsustainable materials
unfortunately, unless they can be re-recycled, they are harmful to the environment when finally discarded
that being said
i personally would buy a vegan leather item over a natural leather item under one circumstance
when that leather is so heavily tanned, and treated with chemicals and plastic
that it no longer has the characteristics of leather
like a patent leather or saffiano
which is pretty much vegan leather anyway based on the amount of plastic used
and don’t beat me up in the comments
yes, some bags promoted in the 5/1 blog post are made with vegan leather
i am fully aware
if you purchase a vegan leather bag, using the principles and parameters of capsule wardrobing, it is STILL more sustainable than purchasing a fast fashion, low quality, vegan leather item
telfar and other brands promoted fit that bill
because of the environmental impact
again, please use your principles and parameters to chose the best product for you
a product that will be used for multiple seasons for multiple formulas
sustainability is not only in production, but also consumption, and waste
i'm not pushing you to avoid it vegan leather
i certainly have not
but be mindful in purchasing large amounts of low quality vegan leather products that are not durable
if you are replacing the items often and cannot transfer usage, but have to throw out
that is the opposite of sustainable, and, against capsule wardrobe parameters and principles