What is Vegan Leather? Is It Sustainable?
In recent years we have seen vegan leather become a topic of conversation in the sustainable fashion industry. Let's explore the sustainability of natural vegan leather, regular leather, and plastic based alternatives based on the various manufacturing processes.
The History of Vegan Leather
Vegan leather’s history reaches back further than you might expect. In 19th century Germany a type of artificial leather was made, called Presstoff. By the following century, the American company Naugahyde created the first globally renowned imitation leather. But it wasn’t until the coming of the new millennium that the words vegan leather started coming into popular use, championed by the likes of fashion designer Stella McCartney.
The early German variety was made out of paper pulp, but it wasn’t durable and soon fell out of use. Naugahyde was made out of plastic, a material becoming increasingly popular in the 20th century. Later in the century, and into the new millennium, rising concern about the environment led to a push for more sustainable products, from food to makeup to clothes, particularly concerning the fabrics they’re made of in the latter case.
The rise of vegan leather has been bound more to animal rights than to environmentalism; but as vegan lifestyles started becoming associated with environmentalism, it touched upon leather too. Vegan lifestyles have many environmental and health benefits. However, vegan alternatives are not more sustainable or eco-friendly by default, and such is the case with vegan leather.
Real leather is made from the hide of animals. These include ostriches, crocodiles, goats, pigs, and sheep; but the most commonly-used animal is cattle used for meat. Vegan leather imitates the look and feel of this leather but does so without the use of animal products. It goes by several names, including synthetic, artificial, imitation, and faux leather. There are different types of vegan leather available, from plastic to plant-based alternatives.
What is Vegan Leather Made From?
Plastic alternatives are the most common types of vegan leather and are made with two plastic polymers: polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU). Usually referred to as pleather, their wrinkled texture gives the impression of real leather.
There are many downsides to plastic-based alternatives, which is why natural alternatives are sought and coming to the fore. These include all kinds of unexpected materials a few common materials cork, apples, corn, cactus, and mushrooms. When shopping for vegan leather try to choose these natural materials over synthetic materials if possible as they typically require less harmful chemicals throughout the manufacturing process.
How is vegan leather made?
Plastic leather is made by applying a coating of PVC or polyurethane to a base material like polyester, nylon, or cotton. PVC is rigid, thus requiring the use of plasticizers such as phthalates to make it flexible.
PVC leather was popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s, thanks to its cheaper price tag. But because of the use of phthalates, which may be toxic, it fell out of favor. PVC can also give the finished product a shiny look, belying its attempt at authenticity. PU leather came to the fore instead. While it’s less toxic than PVC, it’s not toxic-free. In order for the polyurethane to bond to the fabric it needs to be in liquid form. Making it into a liquid requires a solvent, which can be incredibly toxic. Not to mention the environmental concerns that can come from this production process.
Plant-based alternatives are made using natural products. Their production tends to be less toxic and is sometimes made using parts of a plant that would otherwise be thrown away, such as pineapple leaves and apple peels. While the creation of plant based leather alternatives varies based on material let's look at one example. Piñatex's pineapple leather starts with the leaves, long fibers are extracted using semi-automatic machines, fibers are washed, dried by the sun, and purified before getting mixed with a corn based polylactic acid (PLA) and undergoes a mechanical process to create Piñafelt, a non-woven mesh which forms the base of all Piñatex collections.
With cork leather, once a cork oak tree is of age, typically about twenty years old, the cork can be harvested. The cork pieces are sliced off into thin sheets, boiled, dried, shaved, and layed out to make fabric pieces. This process is free of harsh chemicals which makes cork a sustainable choice. Often times plant based vegan leather products have a lower environmental impact and are a better choice.
Is Vegan Leather as Durable as Genuine Leather?
All these alternatives often look like the real thing and feel like the real thing, but is it really like the real thing? Real leather is durable and long-lasting and with time develops a patina, which helps it age well. These items can be worn for many years and even passed down, still looking good. Vegan leather is not as durable, particularly in the case of plastic. Pleather is often times cheap and flexible, but does not develop a patina, precluding it from aging well or lasting a long time.
With sustainability and slow fashion coming to the fore, plant-based alternatives to leather are not just about protecting animals, but the environment too. While more research and development is required, quality and durability are part of those considerations.
Is Vegan Leather More Sustainable than Leather?
When it comes to weighing up the merits of real and vegan leather, the argument in favor of the former often highlights that since leather is a by-product of cattle used for meat, it helps reduce waste. But this ignores the reality of how large animal agriculture’s environmental footprint is overall. Nevertheless, weighing up the pros and cons between the two remains complicated.
When looking at alternative leather options, it's essential to consider the durability. Will the bag, pair of shoes, jacket last for years to come? As animal leather products are known for being durable, getting real leather into your closet in the first place comes with a lot of detrimental side-effects. Besides using material from an animal whose heavy and consistent use negatively impacts the environment, it also requires a lot of water, energy, and chemicals to tan leather.
Tanning is a necessary process that prevents leather from rotting. It requires a chromium salt bath, which is very toxic and often dumped into waterways, impacting surrounding communities, human health, and aquatic life. This prevents leather, otherwise a natural product, from being biodegradable. Furthermore, due to the land needed for grazing and feed crops, making real leather from beef cattle contributes to deforestation as land is cleared for agriculture leading to biodiversity loss and contributing to climate change.
Many of these problems are not solved with PVC or PU leather, and in some instances exacerbates them. Plastic is made from fossil fuels. When these are extracted from the ground, they can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions – all before the pleather has even been made, which in turn requires large amounts of water, energy, and chemicals. PVC and PU leather are also not biodegradable or recyclable, but instead break down into microplastics.
Real leather can also be more sustainable when second-hand leather goods are considered. Recycled or regenerated leather is another option, reducing the need for virgin materials. However, while these options are more sustainable, they’re not an option for strict vegans.
The current challenge with plant-based alternatives is that they are not widely or commercially available. Made in small batches, scalability is often a challenge and their durability is not as tried and tested as real leather. But it’s no reason to knock them, as these alternatives are often made with sustainability and eco-friendliness in mind.
Apples, for example, make use of pulp or peels that would otherwise be thrown away. The resulting material is hardy and flexible. It is, however, usually mixed with polyurethane. Pineapple leather, known as Piñatex, also utilizes food waste as it is made with the fruit’s discarded leaves. Mushroom leather, made from mycelium, is biodegradable and does not require a lot of energy to make.
One of the most promising alternatives seems to be cactus or nopal leather. Developed by Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez under the label Desserto, it’s made from the nopal cactus, more commonly known as prickly pears. Harvested in Mexico, it doesn’t require irrigation, capable of growing with rain water alone. And since it is dried in the sun, the tanning process doesn’t require a toxic bath.
In conclusion, you have to weigh the pros and cons of each materials. At the end of the day there isn't just one perfect cruelty-free alternative. It’s up to the consumer to decide what they feel the best option is for their ethics.
5 Vegan Leather Accessory Brands to Shop
If you do decide to purchase new, check out these vegan leather brands using eco-conscious materials and ethical practices through out their supply chain.
This post does contain some affiliate links which means The Honest Consumer may receive a commission if you decide to purchase, however, at no additional cost to you!
Carry Courage Vegan Cork Bags
Carry Courage’s product selection features cork tote bags, cosmetic bags, clutches, pouches, and other eco-friendly accessories. Carry Courage bags are ethically made to order in Marisa’s Portland studio. Each bag is carefully crafted with high quality stitching and durable cork fabric. Select products feature linen linings and high quality metal hardware sourced from a woman owned U.S. based company. I particularly love my Rule Breaker Zipper Pouch and Overcomer Tote Bag.
Kallie & Co.’s Vegan Shoes
Kallie & Co. is a vegan shoe company focusing on slow fashion, fair trade practices, sustainable materials, & artisan craftsmanship. These unique shoes are ethically made, feature timeless style, and give back. As a cruelty free shoe brand Kallie & Co. does not use any materials that come from animals. This socially responsible shoe company focuses on vegan suede, hemp, organic cotton, & recycled materials. Kallie & Co. sources as many materials as they can locally in Mexico. Personally I love my Kallie & Co. flats!
Solios Vegan Leather Watches
Solios is a certified B corporation creating solar powered vegan leather watches with modern style & sustainable materials. For each Solios watch sold one acre of rainforest restored through their partnership with Rainforest Trust. Solios eco-vegan leather straps are completely free of PU and PVC and feature elements including cork. This is a great accessory for anyone living a vegan lifestyle.
Dooey’s Apple Leather Shoes
Dooey’s shoes are ethically made in Portugal with 100% vegan plant-based materials, such as apple leather, recycled plastic lining, cork insoles, and sugarcane soles. This woman owned brand focuses on comfort and modern style while also off-setting their carbon footprint.
Hozen Cactus Leather Bags
Hozen bags are ethically made in California using Piñatex pineapple leather and Bio-Poly oils a grain-based eco-friendly polyurethane. Their products also feature recycled materials and this socially responsible brand donates 10% of its profits to the non-profit Mercy for Animals.
Hopefully this guide helped you learn a bit more about vegan leather options so that you can make the best decision of your sustainable lifestyle journey.
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