With fashion brands increasingly using vegan or faux leather materials in their products, it begs the question ‘is vegan leather actually a more sustainable option for conscious consumers or is it being used as a way for brands to greenwash their customers?’
Here at The Green Canvas, we want to help individuals make more informed choices about the items they are purchasing. Therefore, in this blog post we outline what vegan leather is, how sustainable it is in comparison to animal leather and outline a few questions you can ask as a consumer when purchasing items made from leather materials.
What is vegan leather?
Vegan leather is an alternative to animal leather which can be made from either artificial or plant-based materials rather than using animal hides. The most common materials used to create vegan leather tends to be artificial plastic polymers, such as PU or PVC. Alternatively, there is an increase in vegan leather being made using more natural materials, such as mushroom, and cork.
Read more Vegan Leather, A Sustainability Overview, insight report.
Not all alternative leathers can be classed as vegan however, due to the animal-derived glues that are used in the processing of the item, this is classed as faux leather. (If you are looking for fully vegan items, these can be seen more easily with the official Vegan Society logo, confirming that no animal-derived materials are used in the items.)
Benefits of Vegan Leather
It is well-known that the cultivation and production of animal leather has a huge impact on the environment. Conversely, when it comes to vegan leather production the impact can be up to a third lower than animal leather. Additionally, through the tanning and dyeing process of animal leather, toxic chemicals are used to speed up this process. These can be extremely harmful to the environment and local communities, and
potentially the wearer of the animal leather item. In addition, the working conditions in animal leather tanneries tend to be detrimental to the workers, who are subjected to poor health and safety practices and an increased likelihood of forced labour. As an alternative, vegan leather tends to use vegetable-based tanners in the tanning process, with less impact on the environment, the tannery workers, and consumers.
Challenges with Vegan Leather
Based on the benefits to the environment alone, it could be argued that it is a no brainer that everyone should make the switch to vegan leather, right? However, consumers need to take a closer look at which type of vegan leather they are purchasing to make sure these sustainability credentials still apply. More plastic based items, such as PU and PVC, have a longer lasting effect on the environment as they take longer to biodegrade than plant-based or animal leather. Whilst advances in modern technology mean that the quality of vegan leather can now rival animal leather, the durability of the product remains inferior. This means that vegan leather products do not have the longevity of animal leather products which can last for decades, resulting in a greater amount of product potentially ending up in landfill if they are plastic-based leathers.
So, is Vegan Leather More Sustainable?
Unfortunately, there are no simple answers to the question ‘is vegan or faux leather more sustainable than animal leather?’ There are several considerations that need to be made when purchasing items that are made from leather materials. As a consumer this can be quite daunting, so we have compiled the list of questions below to help you start on your journey to make more informed decisions about the items you are purchasing and the brands you are purchasing from.
Key questions to ask as a consumer when purchasing leather:
Does the brand I’m purchasing from have good sustainability practices?
What material is my vegan leather item made from? Can I choose an item made
from natural materials rather than the plastic based materials?
Is the quality of the item good enough that it will last me a long time? Do the brand offer repair services to ensure longevity of the item?
Do I need to purchase an item made from vegan and/or animal leather? Are there more sustainable options available instead, such as recycled cotton?
If you are a brand that wants to know more about how vegan leather can be used to as part of your sustainability journey, or you are a consumer that wants to make more informed decisions about what you are purchasing, check out our industry resource Vegan Leather, A Sustainability Overview or get in touch with us to see how we can help you!