Despite its reputation, leather is definitively not a byproduct. The modern leather industry does not reduce the waste of animal agriculture, it collaborates in it. Leather is best viewed as a coproduct, meaning that the two industries are distinct, but inextricably linked.
The global leather goods market is gigantic, and Grand View Research predicts it will reach USD $405.28 billion by 2030, up from $242.85 billion in 2022. In 2020, global production reached 12.5 million tonnes and included the skin of over 1.4 billion animals. (That’s nearly 20 percent of the entire human population at the time killed within a single year.)
Apart from the staggering inherent environmental footprint of raising cattle, turning hides into leather itself has a significant impact. So significant, in fact, that Collective Fashion Justice believes turning hides into products creates more CO2e emissions – about 110kg per square meter – than simply putting them straight into landfill. (Which is very likely where the product will end up rotting and producing emissions eventually, anyway.)
It’s also not just cows that are used to produce leather. Hides from sheeps*, lambs, goats, and pigs are also frequently used, while animals such as crocodiles, alligators, snakes, kangaroos, zebras, elephants, and more – including rare, endangered, and keystone species – are hunted specifically for their skins, frequently for luxury accessories by high-end brands.
Fashion designer and vegan icon Stella McCartney, who uses plant-based alternatives to leather in her various products, previously told Plant Based News (PBN) that the idea of leather was a byproduct was “sheer nonsense.” She added: “I’m here to let people know that’s a lie that’s been created by the meat industry and leather boards.”
This report covers a preliminary life cycle assessment (LCA) on imitation leather made from hemp
fiber (hemp leather) and a comparison to bovine leather, to examine whether hemp leather is an
environmentally sustainable alternative. The bovine leather industry is responsible for heavy
chemical use and emissions, detrimental effects to the environment as well as to human health. The
United Nations (UN) and other organizations call for immediate action against the animal product
industry sector to greatly reduce emissions and protect the environment. Hemp is a versatile plant
that can be used for many things, including paper, composites, textiles, food and medicine, and is
probably a suitable material for imitation leather. The hemp plant requires little inputs, grows fast
and without pesticides, has positive effects on the environment and can be cultivated on every
inhabited continent. The preliminary LCA was based on a patent describing the manufacturing
process of hemp leather completed with data from literature and a few assumptions made. LCA-
results for bovine leather were collected from literature and the two leather fabrics were then
compared. The comparison showed that hemp leather is superior to bovine leather in all compared
categories except for water consumption and hazardous waste. Bovine leather had 99% more energy
use, 78% higher acidification potential (AP), 99,9% higher eutrophication potential (EP) and 83%
higher global warming potential (GWP) than hemp leather. The large water consumption in the
manufacturing phase of hemp leather is possible to be explained by over dimensioning of inputs. The
report concludes that hemp leather would be the environmentally and ethically admirable choice
between the two leathers and that more research on more modern methods of manufacturing it
should be performed.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the leather industry towards sustainable and innovative alternatives to traditional leather production methods. Alongside this trend, efforts have been made to reduce environmental damage by focusing on natural tanning methods in the production of natural leather, thus adopting more sustainable production techniques. Alternative materials such as apple leather, pineapple leather, banana leather, cactus leather, bacterial cellulose leather and cork leather have emerged as viable options in response to this shift. Additionally, there has been notable development in exotic leather alternatives, with materials like crocodile, puffer fish, and ostrich leather taking the forefront. These exotic leather options not only offer alternatives but also aim to fulfill specific purposes such as habitat conservation, particularly evident in the case of puffer fish leather production. The aim is not only to provide alternative materials but also to ensure environmental sustainability and ethical practices throughout the production process. This article delves into the description of alternative leather options while also providing an analysis of the life cycle of leather. It aims to underscore the importance of discovering innovative and sustainable leather alternatives in reducing the environmental footprint of the leather industry. By considering various materials and utilizing tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), stakeholders can work towards a more sustainable and ethical future for leather production.
The global leather industry has been at the receiving end of various environmental and ethical backlash as it mainly relies on animal agriculture which contributes to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and animal welfare concerns. In addition, the processing of animal hides into leather generates a huge amount of toxic chemicals, which ultimately get released into the environment. Thus, growing concern for environmental sustainability has led to the exploration of alternative materials to conventional animal-based leather. In this regard, the application of fungal leather alternatives in material technology is gaining traction because of its high biodegradability, biocompatibility, renewability, as well as its affordable and carbon-neutral growth processes. Fungal leather alternatives have been found to possess significant mechanical and physical properties, thanks to the interwoven hyphal network of the fungal mycelium, as well as antimicrobial activities which have been ascribed to their bioactive metabolites. Various fungal species, including those from the Agaricus, Fomes, Ganoderma, Phellinus, and Pleutorus genera, are currently being investigated for their potential in this area. This review, therefore, attempts to gain insights into the recent advances in scientific research and real-world applications of fungal-derived leather like materials. It makes a compelling case for this sustainable alternative and discusses the morphology-property relationship of the fungal mycelium driving this innovation. Additionally, the current processing methods and major players in the fungal leather substitute industry are presented. The paper also brings attention to the challenges facing the full deployment of fungal leather substitutes and proposes solutions with the aim of encouraging further research and resource mobilization for the acceptance of this renewable leather substitute.
The global leather goods market is gigantic, and Grand View Research predicts it will reach USD $405.28 billion by 2030, up from $242.85 billion in 2022.
I have generally rather mixed feelings about leather, but that seems like a ridiculous number to use as a reference. As far as I can tell it’s the total price of the sold goods?
Which includes lots of stuff that has nothing to do with the leather…
Luis Vuitton is going to be raking in millions whether it uses leather or it switches to hemp or whatever. They’re selling prestige and brand, not real products.
(In the current political climate “going woke” by cutting leather would probably backfire in terms of image… But if they silently switched from leather to plastic noone would notice given the quality of their leathers)
The single largest producer of micro plastics is car tires. The second largest is lint from synthetic clothing. I agree that it’s probably green washing but it’s still probably better than using leather.
Even if leather is a byproduct of meat production, it’s not given away. It’s sold. At best, leather is subsidizing the meat industry. Leather helps make animal suffering more profitable. Therefore it happens more.
Driven an EV for 8 years. It’s on its second set of tyres. My diesels cars before this one would get through a set every 18 months. I keep an eye on the tread depth too.
I don’t know why, but even with all the torque, they last. I wonder if the style of power transmission is easier on the tyre compound. Electric motors being a continuous force Vs an engine being lots of explosions, maybe.
I doubt it’s torque delivery. Rubber compound and alignment make a big difference in tire life. Since EVs are much more limited by inefficiencies, I would bet it came with harder tires and a straighter alignment.
Much of the battery’s energy is recovered through regenerative braking. This means the main thing limiting range is drag. That’s why EVs typically have much more emphasis on being aerodynamic and are more efficient in cities. An ICE car has all of the energy dumped into heat in the brakes. But that’s ok because it’s easy to just make the tank bigger. That’s why ICE cars are more efficient on the highway where they never brake.
Leather boots can, in my opinion, have their place. Leather shoes are often more hard-wearing, comfortable and maintainable, then many of the alternatives.
That does not include leather sneakers because in those the construction and sole will self destruct way before the leather, so you have a shoe with good upper and a crumbling sole.
But leather upholstery always seemed to me to be hard to justify. They seem to me to be functionally inferior and way more expensive.
Car seats… Noone ever had to change car because the seats were worn. And leather is hot in summer, cold in winter, and sticky against sweaty skin.
Office chair… Really? I have mine with a mesh back just to breathe a little better.
I’ve had both leather and cloth car seats, the cars I’ve owned have all been ~10 years old, the leather seats looked really good after 10 years no issues.
The cloth seats I had in one of my cars were literally falling apart.
Leather is also spill proof, Kids smeared peanut butter all over your seats? No problem just wipe it down.
This is just my personal experience, so yea mileage and results may differ.
Hmmm this feels like green washing to cut costs.
Isn’t leather mostly a byproduct? Leather boots and car seats can last decades, which could reduce waste.
What are the alternatives and what are they made or? Afik the alternatives are usually petroleum based don’t last as long and introduce micro plastics
Would like to see a proper study on the alternatives and their long term impacts compared.
https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/the-problem-with-leather-cruel/
Not dismissing the claims, but that seems like an obviously biased news source.
Interesting topic, I’m keen to dive deeper into it.
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
I have generally rather mixed feelings about leather, but that seems like a ridiculous number to use as a reference. As far as I can tell it’s the total price of the sold goods?
Which includes lots of stuff that has nothing to do with the leather…
Luis Vuitton is going to be raking in millions whether it uses leather or it switches to hemp or whatever. They’re selling prestige and brand, not real products.
(In the current political climate “going woke” by cutting leather would probably backfire in terms of image… But if they silently switched from leather to plastic noone would notice given the quality of their leathers)
There’s always cloth seats car manufacturers can use instead.
I don’t ever want leather seats in my car but your answer seems… Unrelated to my comment?
It’s related to how you may want to avoid plastic…
The single largest producer of micro plastics is car tires. The second largest is lint from synthetic clothing. I agree that it’s probably green washing but it’s still probably better than using leather.
Even if leather is a byproduct of meat production, it’s not given away. It’s sold. At best, leather is subsidizing the meat industry. Leather helps make animal suffering more profitable. Therefore it happens more.
Unfortunately the meat industry isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so what do we do with the hides?
It makes sense to me to use it to make Boots etc. that lasts decades, instead of throwing it in the trash and using petroleum based alternatives.
This will become worse with evs unfortunately since they’re heavier due to the batteries, they will become lighter over time though.
Driven an EV for 8 years. It’s on its second set of tyres. My diesels cars before this one would get through a set every 18 months. I keep an eye on the tread depth too.
I don’t know why, but even with all the torque, they last. I wonder if the style of power transmission is easier on the tyre compound. Electric motors being a continuous force Vs an engine being lots of explosions, maybe.
I doubt it’s torque delivery. Rubber compound and alignment make a big difference in tire life. Since EVs are much more limited by inefficiencies, I would bet it came with harder tires and a straighter alignment.
I don’t follow?
Much of the battery’s energy is recovered through regenerative braking. This means the main thing limiting range is drag. That’s why EVs typically have much more emphasis on being aerodynamic and are more efficient in cities. An ICE car has all of the energy dumped into heat in the brakes. But that’s ok because it’s easy to just make the tank bigger. That’s why ICE cars are more efficient on the highway where they never brake.
I see. EVs have much more incentive to minimise inefficiencies. Yes.
Fighting for walkable cities and good public transport like Trams etc. would make such a big environmental and quality of life difference.
Leather boots can, in my opinion, have their place. Leather shoes are often more hard-wearing, comfortable and maintainable, then many of the alternatives.
That does not include leather sneakers because in those the construction and sole will self destruct way before the leather, so you have a shoe with good upper and a crumbling sole.
But leather upholstery always seemed to me to be hard to justify. They seem to me to be functionally inferior and way more expensive.
Car seats… Noone ever had to change car because the seats were worn. And leather is hot in summer, cold in winter, and sticky against sweaty skin.
Office chair… Really? I have mine with a mesh back just to breathe a little better.
And with a couch… Just why?
I’ve had both leather and cloth car seats, the cars I’ve owned have all been ~10 years old, the leather seats looked really good after 10 years no issues. The cloth seats I had in one of my cars were literally falling apart.
Leather is also spill proof, Kids smeared peanut butter all over your seats? No problem just wipe it down.
This is just my personal experience, so yea mileage and results may differ.