At first glance, you might assume that leather is sustainable and that the production process is natural. Especially as leather is a natural material and occurs as a by-product of the meat industry. But it is worth questioning these thoughts.
In this article I show youwhether leather is sustainable and how the production has an impact on the environment and which vegan leather alternatives are available. The material can be obtained from an incredible number of raw materials, e.g. pineapple leaves or even paper. You will also learn about some upcycling projects that produce wonderful leather alternatives. Let's go!
Tip: If you need some inspiration in the fight against Cruelty to animals just have a look at the article about Animal welfare quotes.
Impact of leather production on the environment
Leather consists of animal hide, which has to be chemically treated to prevent it from rotting. After all, this is dead tissue. I would like to describe in more detail here how this and other chemical treatment processes harm the environment and whether leather is really just a by-product of meat production.
Whether in the factory or during transport there - the production of leather unfortunately produces a lot of pollutants that burden our environment and also our health.
Preservatives during transport
Before the hides are processed, they have to be transported. First, the hides are treated with preservatives so that they do not start to decompose. The hides are then transported to the leather producer.
Chemical tanning
A major problem in leather production is tanning, which is usually carried out chemically. Chromium III salts are usually used for this, which are generally harmless to health. In contrast, chromium VI, which is banned in Germany, is harmful to health and can occur under improper tanning conditions. Normally, however, this should not happen. On the other hand, working conditions in emerging Asian countries in particular are poor and production processes can hardly be traced or monitored.
Fats with a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids also increase the probability of the formation of chromium VI during tanning with chromium III. To avoid this, one could switch to vegetable (plant-based) tanning instead.
High water consumption in leather production
Another negative environmental impact of leather production is the large amount of waste water. During the production process, approximately 20,000 to 80,000 liters of water are required for every ton of processed hide. The figures vary greatly depending on the production process, but either way it is a huge amount of waste water.
Tip: In the contributions "Vegetarianism Statistics." and "Veganism Statistics" you will find facts and figures about vegan-vegetarian nutrition and its effects.
Harmful substances during the finishing of the leather
One of the last production steps in leather production is the final finishing. This involves coating the leather with plastics, such as polyeruthane, to cover irregularities and seal the leather. The problem here is that the chemicals are then partially evaporated again. However, this is the only option if you want to achieve a scratch and tear-resistant surface. And since most of the demand is for flawless shoes, handbags and leather jackets, the leather has to be chemically treated.
Pollutant expert Dr. Christian Schelle from TÜV Rheinland says that there is no such thing as pollutant-free leather quality on the basis of TÜV tests, as pollutants always evaporate in corresponding tests.
Is vegetable tanned leather sustainable?
For many, vegetable-tanned leather appears to be an ecological alternative to chemically tanned leather, which seems logical at first. Vegetable-tanned leather is leather in which only substances of vegetable origin are used in the tanning process. Vegetable-tanned leather is often marketed as more ecological than chemically tanned leather. The proportion of vegetable-tanned leather worldwide is around 5-10%.
However, vegetable tanning is very resource- and time-intensive. The process takes between 20 and 30 months and around 30 kg of bark or 20 kg of fruit or 90 kg of oak wood are used per hide. The amount of water used is also enormous. The duration and resource intensity far outweigh any advantages of gentle tanning, meaning that the production of leather also has a negative impact on the environment.
Working conditions in leather production
A large proportion of leather is produced in South East Asia, where health and safety laws and environmental protection laws are much more relaxed than in EU countries. In countries such as Bangladesh or China, workers often have to carry out chemical processes without protective clothing. Of course, this is not always the case, but child labor can also occur in the leather industry.
Especially as around 90% of all leather tanning is carried out in India and China, where conditions are particularly bad for workers and the environment. By the way, you can also read the article about Fast Fashion read through.
Another problem, which does not only affect leather, is that many products labeled "Made in Italy" or "Made in Germany" have not actually been manufactured in Italy or Germany for a long time. Shoes labeled "Made in Italy" in particular are associated with high-quality products. However, components are often manufactured abroad, often in low-wage countries, and only the final work steps are then carried out in Italy. Nevertheless, the products are then allowed to carry the "Made in Italy" label. In this case, what is written on the label is simply not really inside.
ZDF Documentary Mass-produced leather
The ZDF Documentary Mass-produced leather provides a good overview of the working conditions and production steps in the leather industry. In about 30 minutes, you will learn a lot about leather as a product and the problems that can occur during production.
Animals as commodities - animal ethical aspects of leather production
A major fallacy regarding leather sustainability is the assumption that leather is only a by-product of the meat industry. According to PETA information, only 60 % of the hides used are from the meat processing industry. The remaining 40 % of global slaughterings for leather are not used for meat.but used exclusively for leather production.
According to PETA research, cattle leather represents around 50 % of the commercial value of a cow, the other half being the cow's meat. Conversely, if no one bought more leather, the price of meat would have to double. So leather is definitely not just a by-product or waste product of the meat industry.
Tip: In the article "Why don't vegans wear leather?" you can find out more about the animal ethical motives.
Environmental impact of the meat industry
Because the leather and meat industries are closely linked, the environmental impact of the meat industry is of course also linked to the leather industry. The most important factors here are CO² emissions, water and resource consumption, as well as the large amounts of agricultural land required or Deforestation for feed production.
In the Amazon region in particular, a lot of rainforest is cut down so that large quantities of soy can be grown in monocultures, which is then processed into soy meal and used as animal feed. Incidentally, over 90 % of soy production is used as animal feed. You can find out more about this in the clear article on the Environmental problems of our time.
The theme Nutrition and the environment has now reached the media and is being discussed more and more often. In the documentary Cowspiracy you can also learn a lot about the environmental impact of the meat industry.
Fashion designer Stella McCartney renounces leather and fur
Fashion designer Stella McCartney is primarily concerned with environmental friendliness and animal ethics and works together with the environmental protection organization Parley Ocean Plastic. The organization aims to free beaches worldwide from plastic waste and reuse it in recycling projects. Fashion designer Stella McCartney uses materials from such recycling projects, among other things.
Stella McCartney has also deliberately decided against the use of leather or Fur in her collections. Instead of leather, she uses many recycled fabrics as an alternative. She explains her reasons for doing so in this video.
If you still want to buy leather
If you still want to choose a leather product, I have several recommendations to help you make your purchase more sustainable. In my experience, there are now many really good and vegan leather alternatives, but I can certainly understand that as a "non-vegan" you are more likely to stick with what you know and have tried instead of trying something new. So what can you do to make your "leather shopping" as sustainable as possible?
Buy leather sustainable second hand
As leather is a very durable material, leather products are easy to buy second-hand. So if you're looking for a sustainable leather jacket, then take a look in your local second-hand store or online at Kleiderkreisel, eBay Kleinanzeigen etc. and maybe you'll find what you're looking for. On the one hand, you'll protect your wallet and, on the other, you'll help animals and the environment by reducing new leather production.
Apart from that, we should be buying a lot more second-hand anyway, because we are reducing the amount of waste and at the same time the resources required for new production. So why not use second-hand products for your leather jacket or wallet too?
Eco-leather and sustainability
The terms eco-leather, natural leather and organic leather are not legally protected and are therefore not used uniformly. Some manufacturers refer to their leather as natural or organic leather if it has been vegetable-tanned, i.e. purely vegetable-tanned, regardless of the other production steps. Other manufacturers, on the other hand, describe their leather as natural or organic leather if all production steps have been carried out in the most environmentally friendly way possible. The problem for the buyer here is the lack of transparency and uniformity because there is no legal regulation.
In the natural leather sector, only the International Association of the Natural Textile Industry (IVN) offers an ecological standard. The guidelines are relatively strict, which is why relatively few leather producers are IVN natural leather-certified to date. However, if you find the IVN seal on a product, this is a sign of fairly produced leather.
Sustainability through transparent leather products
If you want to buy genuine leather products that are as ecological as possible, you should take a look at the manufacturing process.
Especially when shopping online, it is often difficult to find out who the leather producer of the products on offer is. In the fashion industry, it is often the case that the leather used comes from suppliers in Asia. Unfortunately, as already mentioned, both weaker environmental protection laws and weaker labor protection laws apply here and lower wages are paid than in EU countries.
The problem here is that the production process and its conditions are conditions for the end customer of the leather products can hardly be traced. are hardly traceable. So when you buy leather, you should try to find companies that are transparent about their production process. Then you can information and decide for yourself whether you think the leather is sustainable or not. or not.
Unfortunately, there is often not enough information here, so I would like to recommend buying second-hand leather products once again. In the article about sustainable fashion you will receive further basic tips.
Vegan sustainable leather alternatives
It does not always have to be imitation leather from Plastic There are now many other sustainable projects. These projects have set themselves the goal of creating alternatives to real leather. I would like to introduce you to some of them here and show you which materials can be used to produce vegan leather.
There are some exotic materials such as pineapple or eucalyptus leaves, but conventional materials such as cork or paper are also available. By using environmentally friendly materials, the leather is also sustainable.
For a long time, it was also considered that artificial leather is used in cheap products and is less durable than genuine leather products. However, this has long ceased to be the case, as many vegan leather alternatives have excellent sustainability and durability.
Vegan leather made from pineapple leaves
Environmentally friendly leather can also be made from pineapple leaves. In contrast to real leather, pineapple leaves are definitely a by-product of pineapple processing and would otherwise end up in the waste garbage can. The vegan leather made from pineapple leaves is called Piñatex®. This is an environmentally friendly and vegan leather alternative made from pineapple leaves, polylactic acids and resin.
Vegan leather sustainable from cork
Cork is light, robust, water-repellent and yet permeable to permeable to air. Cork is also sustainable, as it is obtained from the bark of the cork tree from the bark of the cork tree and this bark grows back so that cork can be cork can be obtained in a way that conserves resources.
As an alternative to the classic leather wallet you will find here a vegan wallet made from cork*.
Vegan leather from eucalyptus fiber
Eucalyptus can be produced sustainably with little water and energy consumption and thus offers a good environmentally friendly leather alternative. The startup Noani produces vegan leather belts from these eucalyptus fibers and recycled polyester. Although the use of polyester is not ideal from an environmental point of view, I think that the Reuse of polyester is better than throwing the material in the bin. In the spirit of the Zero Waste Lifestyle even.
Cool leather upcycling projects
In fashion, upcycling projects are becoming more and more fashionable. I have found in my research several projects that offer environmentally friendly vegan leather alternatives.
Classic upcycling: a Purse from old truck tarpaulin*.
Airpaq - sustainable upcycling backpacks
A play on words from airbag and backpack - Airpaq. The start-up produces backpacks and gym bags from waste materials from the automotive industry. The materials either come from the scrap yard or are rejects from an automotive supplier. Instead of being thrown away, the material is then processed by Airpaq.
At Airpaq airbags, old seatbelts and even seatbelt buckles are used. In this way, a cool and environmentally friendly rucksack or gym bag is created from actual scrap. By the way, no materials from crashed cars are used. To rule out any hygiene concerns, all fabrics are washed antibacterially at over 90 degrees, and belt buckles are cleaned and disinfected separately.
Sounds like a clean thing to me!
FREITAG - Sporty designs
Bags made of truck tarpaulins, that is the concept of FRIDAY. Each bag is upcycled and unique, with laptop bags, rucksacks, travel bags and more on offer. Another advantage besides the ecological aspect is that the bags are waterproof.
To make the material softer and more flexible, the truck tarpaulins are combined with a material made of PET bottles.
Vegan alternative for leather shoes
Vegan, sustainable and fair is the philosophy of the online shoe mail order company Avesu for vegan shoes. Everyone can find an alternative for leather shoes here. What I find particularly good is that Avesu has set itself the goal of producing "more than just vegan" and also takes the aspects of ecology and fair production seriously.
I myself have a Chelsea boot from Avesu, which I have been wearing
for over two years now and I am very happy with it.
Vegan leather from paper
There is actually also environmentally friendly leather made from paper. This is usually a material made from a mixture of paper and natural latex. natural latex.
Bleed Clothing uses leather from paper & latex
Bleed Clothing produces vegan purses* and belts made of a material called Jacroki, which is made of paper and latex and is produced in Italy.
I have myself this belt from Bleed Clothing* and I am very happy with it. At first I found the belt a little stiff, but that is also the case with leather belts. After wearing it a few times, the material became more flexible. As I've only had the belt since December 2018, I can't say anything specific about its durability at the moment. However, the vegan paper belt makes a really sturdy impression on me.
From the same collection there is also the matching vegan purse*.
One particularly cool project is the Eco Backpack*, which is made from cork, organic cotton and recycled canvas and is also vegan.
At Bleed Clothing is all about sustainable fashion. Environmentally friendly, vegan and fairly produced are the hallmarks here. There is even an upcycling collection.
Paprcuts - Vegan leather from Tyvek
At Paprcuts, watches, wallets, pencil cases, smartphone covers, tobacco pouches and cosmetic pouches are made from a material called Tyvek. Tyvek is vegan, durable and recyclable. The material is made from high-density polyethylene, i.e. a plastic.
On the one hand, I naturally take a critical view of the use of polyethylene. On the other hand, Tyvek can be reused four to five times and when Tyvek is incinerated with excess oxygen, only water and CO² are left behind.
In addition, Paprcuts even has its own recycling program where you can send back your old product. Paprcuts will take care of the proper recycling and you will receive a 25 % voucher for your next purchase.
The paprcuts designs are also really great, although that is of course a matter of taste. Another advantage is that the wallets are printed, folded and sewn in Berlin.
Leather & sustainability - it's possible!
For me personally, vegan leather alternatives are definitely the most sustainable solution. There is now a large selection of different vegan leather alternatives that can be made from a variety of materials. Especially as pretty much all projects are environmentally friendly, many are even upcycling projects. In this respect, vegan leather offers a great alternative to conventional leather.
In comparison, the production of leather is not sustainable. A lot of pollutants are produced, large quantities of water are used, working conditions are poor and, of course, the animal ethics aspect is also important. Unfortunately, leather is not just a waste product, which means that leather production places a heavy burden on the environment.
If you still want a leather product, I would definitely recommend buying second-hand. As leather is a very stable and therefore durable material, you can't really go wrong when buying second-hand leather products in terms of sustainability. You'll also save money while protecting the environment and buying leather sustainably.
Because there are now so many modern and environmentally friendly leather alternatives, I think you'll find something you like too. Maybe your next wallet will be made of paper instead of leather?
Do you have any questions, tips or suggestions? Then feel free to write me a comment below this post.
All the best,
P.S.: If you are more interested in veganism, then take a look at my articles 11 tips to start vegan or 12 vegan protein sources ahead.
