Leather, a timeless material, sparks debate about sustainability. Is genuine leather the champion of longevity, or do vegan alternatives offer a greener path?

This is a huge debate fueled by industry, governments, and activists. There are currently efforts by the German Leather Federation to ban the use of the word ‘leather’ in synthetics and plant-based alternatives. Based on industry, “Leather is the skin of an animal… Nothing else is leather, and nothing else can honestly be called leather.”

Apparently fake leather has been around for a bit too.

A 1915 article in the Shoe and Leather Reporter entitled Artificial Leather a Misnomer and a Fallacy.  

Myth #1: Real Leather is Always Unsustainable

While the leather industry has environmental concerns, responsible sourcing and good animal husbandry practices can mitigate some issues.

We typically think of leather as cow hide, but leather products may be made from any variety of farm animals or exotic animals, including sheep, goat, deer, moose, seal, snake, crocodile and more.

Some argue sheepskin is a better leather.

Natures Collection is a brand that offers a range of sustainably sourced sheepskin products, providing an ethical and environmentally friendly alternative to faux leather. Their products are made from high-quality sheepskin sourced from responsibly managed farms, ensuring minimal environmental impact and ethical treatment of animals.

High quality leather can last decades and be repaired. In that time you will have gone through multiple vegan leather products.

Myth #2: Vegan Leather is Eco-Friendly

Many vegan leathers are plastic-based, raising concerns about resource use, microplastics, and disposal challenges.

Almost all “vegan” leathers are made by bonding liquid plastics onto a fabric or paper backing stamped with a leather-like texture.

Hop back into the time machine and tear toward the 1960s, when pleather was born. The primary plastic in fake leather, PVC has been described as the “single most environmentally damaging type of plastic”.

PVC contains dioxins. These chemicals have been linked to cancer and developmental and reproductive issues. They persist in the environment, and are especially dangerous if burned.

Dioxin’s were the source of the Times Beach disaster, one of the largest environmental disasters in the U.S. Once dioxin gets into our soil and water it takes decades to cleanup, all the while silently damaging the health of people and ecosystems.

“Nearly 40 years ago, an individual was paid to spray material on the roads to suppress the dust in this small Midwest town. What the town didn’t know was that he was spraying those roads with a mixture of the highly toxic chemical compound, dioxin, and waste oil. When the town was inundated by a terrible flood in December 1982, that toxic mix spread beyond the roads and covered the town.” - US EPA

PVC also uses phthalates. On its own, PVC would be really rigid, so to make it softer and more malleable, phthalate plasticizers are added.

Phthalates are considered carcinogenic and endocrine disruptors. Phthalates are used for many purposes: to retain the scents used in fragrances, to soften and strengthen plastic, and to help topical products like lotions and cosmetics stick to and penetrate skin.

Phthalates are particularly dangerous to pregnant women and babies. When ingested by pregnant women, phthalates can travel through the bloodstream and come into direct contact with the developing fetus. Later on, the chemical can also wind up in the mother’s breast milk. The chemicals pose risks to the development of the reproductive system, brain, and other organs.

Sustainable plant-based alternatives are emerging, but their long-term environmental impact is still under evaluation.

Myth #3: Pre-Loved Leather is Not Worth Considering

Second-hand leather goods offer a sustainable option, reducing reliance on new leather production and extending a product's lifespan.

However, there’s a big debate in the vegan community — second-hand leather is still an animal product and to be more specific it is the skin of an animal.

You cannot be vegan and wear any kind of leather because the message you are giving out is that it is okay to kill animals for their skin.

But at the end of the day you are keeping secondhand leather out of the landfill and by purchasing used you are not contributing to demand.

If you have any type of leather in your wardrobe, having a cleaner and conditioner to help you restore and maintain your article for longevity is a must. Use a brand that doesn't include toxic chemicals or animal by-products.

Environmental Footprint

Let's delve into the environmental impact of animal based leather, vegan leather, and pre-loved leather options.

We can compare the greenhouse gas emissions of the most common faux leather, polyurethane ‘leather’, with cow skin leather emissions, barring those emitted on farms or grazing land.  

Vegan-leather brands and advocates of its use, for example, usually include the full carbon impact of raising cattle in the figures that show a significant savings when you switch to pleather.

Animal Based Leather

Benefits

Durable and long-lasting, develops a beautiful patina over time, naturally breathable.

Challenges

Leather production uses water, chemicals, and energy.

The tanning process can generate pollutants if not well-managed.

Chromium tanning is by far the most popular method for turning that matter into a durable material suitable for leather goods. The method requires the use of a slew of caustic chemicals that can be dangerous to workers, and it creates waste that seeps into the surrounding environment.

Animal agriculture raises concerns about deforestation, methane emissions, and animal welfare. However, as long as people are eating cows, not using the hides and other parts is a waste as well.

Environmental Impact

High water usage, potential for pollution from tanning, deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions associated with animal agriculture.

Choosing ethically sourced leather can minimize some concerns. Turning animals’ skin into leather requires loads of energy and chemicals—including chromium, mineral salts, coal-tar derivatives, formaldehyde, oils, dyes, and finishes, some of them cyanide-based.

Sean Gallagher spotlighted the impacts of toxic tanneries on people and the environment in India. The city of Kanpur is now notorious for having some of the country's worst water pollution which has been created by the leathery tannery industry which discharges waste water laced with toxic chemicals, such as chromium, freely into local waterways.

Vegan Leather

Benefits

Often considered cruelty-free, some options are made from recycled materials. Sustainable vegan leather can be made from many plant-based materials, including pineapple leaves (Pinatex), cactus (Desserto leather), cork, mushrooms, coconut husks, kombucha scobies, mango, seaweed, apple peels, and even bacteria!

Pinatex is made from pineapple waste. A pineapple plant only flowers and produces a fruit once, so its stem and leaves are usually wasted.

Challenges

Vegan leather is made from anything that does not come from an animal, but serves the same purpose as leather. It generally looks and feels the same too. The trouble is, vegan leather is most often made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyurethane which is often fossil fuel based.

One of the main primary concerns with faux leather is it requires fossil fuels to be produced. The extraction and processing of petroleum-based materials contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution, and habit destruction.

Many vegan leathers are plastic-based, contributing to reliance on fossil fuels and potential microplastic pollution. Durability can be lower compared to real leather.

Sustainable plant-based alternatives are evolving but require further assessment. When these break down they become microplastics, polluting our waterways and the fish in them. The factories used to make fake leather can pollute the environment and worker and other human health from dozens of toxic chemicals like PVCs and phthalates.

Even plant based leathers are not all they seem. Detailed breakdowns of materials can be hard to come by, but if you read the fine print on those that have come to market, significant use of plastics so far appears to be hard to avoid.

The luxury clothing brand Balenciaga, for instance, sells a men’s jacket made of vegan leather from Desserto, a Mexico-based developer of cactus leathers. According to Balenciaga’s product listing, the jacket’s material contains 20 percent vegetable fiber and 12.5 percent cotton—the rest is polyurethane and polyester.

Environmental Impact

Resource use for plastic production, potential for microplastic pollution during use and disposal. Sustainable plant-based options might offer a lower environmental impact, but research is ongoing.

Pre-Loved Leather

Benefits

Extends the life cycle of existing leather products, reduces demand for new leather production, often more affordable. Second-hand leather items supports the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle. By purchasing pre-owned leather goods, consumers are extending the lifecycle of these products. They are preventing them from ending up in landfills. The nice thing is that you can keep repurposing - a belt becomes a shoulder strap for a purse. An old vest becomes a belt or purse. Use your creativity!

Challenges

Quality and condition can vary, may require minor repairs or restoration.

Environmental Impact

Minimizes reliance on virgin materials and production processes associated with new leather. The problem is that most sustainability calculations ignore the most important element of a fashion product’s environmental impact: how many times that product will be used before it is discarded. Real leathers, with their longer lives and higher costs, encourage people to slow down their consumption cycles.

Considering Production Methods, Material Types, and Durability

Production Methods: Choose leather tanned with vegetable-based methods instead of harsh chemicals. Opt for vegan leather made from recycled materials when possible.

Material Types: Explore sustainable plant-based alternatives for vegan leather as they become more established.

Durability: Prioritize quality and longevity in any leather product, real or vegan. Proper care extends the lifespan of leather goods.

Ethical Considerations and the Future of Leather

Animal Welfare: Support brands committed to ethical sourcing practices and responsible animal husbandry for real leather products.

Innovation: Developments in plant-based and other sustainable alternatives for vegan leather offer promise for the future.

Circular Economy: Fostering a circular economy where pre-loved leather goods are valued and readily available is crucial.

Ranking Leather Options for Sustainability

Accuracy: The claim that one type of leather is inherently more sustainable is inaccurate. Consider production methods, material source, and lifespan of the product.

Durability: Opt for high-quality, long-lasting leather items, real or vegan. Proper care extends lifespan.

Ethics: Choose ethically sourced real leather or cruelty-free vegan options.

Impact on Climate Change: Prioritize pre-loved leather, then consider real leather with responsible sourcing and tanning practices. Sustainable plant-based vegan leather might be an option in the future, but research is ongoing.

Further Resources

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition: https://cascale.org/about-us/who-we-are/

The Leather Working Group: https://www.leatherworkinggroup.com/

Designers using vegan leather: Stella McCartney, Corkor, roandco, Pixie Mood, Urban Expressions, Eve Cork, GUNAS New York