Throughout history, different cultures around the world have made valuable use of leather, such as for tools and clothes. Leather footwear and coats, for instance, were important to keep men warm in ancient times. Nowadays, leather is quite common as a material, used for many types of clothes and accessories, and of course, leather is extremely common in the fabrication of handbags. However, due to the leather industry’s Impact on the planet, vegan leather is gaining popularity in the fashion market. But is vegan leather really a more sustainable option than leather for clothes and accessories? In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of using vegan leather as a viable material for your fashion production.
animal leather overview
The history of leather dates back to around 1200 BC, with ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman history. At that time, vegetable tanning was the best method of leather preserving. In the 19th century, a new tanning process was discovered, using chromium salts, which sped up leather production from taking months to being completed within hours.
What came to light over time was that the chromium used in the tanning process is one of the main reasons why animal leather is damaging to the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers all waste from the leather-making process as being hazardous to our environment.
Besides the chemicals used in the leather industry, the vast quantities of water and wide tracts of pastureland that are needed to raise animals whose skin will become leather also increase the environmental damage. The deforestation that is needed to open space for those animals to live, causes habitat loss for millions of other natural species, aside from climate change consequences.
Why use animal leather?
The main reason why leather is still used in many accessory productions, especially handbags and luggage is because of its strength, durability, and resilience. It grants protection to your items and adds durability to the product, giving the accessory a longer life. In the end, that’s what gives leather items a timelessness. Everyone who owns a leather bag will certainly own it for many years, with much usage and satisfaction during its lifetime. And once it is worn to bits, it will biodegrade into the earth. Once of the major differences between leather and "vegan" leather.
vegan leather
Vegan leather or "vinyl" as it is commonly known on the street, was developed as a marketing ploy, to offer a leather alternative that could serve as an ethical and sustainable way to produce leather items. But in reality, vegan leather is not always as sustainable as it looks. The faux leather industry has branched out lately, producing leather from fruit and plants, with the ingredient plastic being the most prevalent. We discussed some of this conversation in one of our previous articles,
Products as well as accessories or any goods made from plastic take years to degrade and inevitably release toxic chemicals into the environment. This can make vegan leather even more harmful to the environment than animal leather, and certainly just as harmful.
“Micro-plastic pollution is a big threat, as it uses an extensive amount of water, energy and chemicals to be processed and made into the material which sadly impacts the earth. People think it’s better because it says vegan on it, but that’s because people aren’t taking the time to really learn about what they’re buying. 13 million ton of synthetic fibres enter our oceans each year.” - Harpers Bazaar
Furthermore, faux leather isn’t as durable as animal leather. Thereupon, if you buy a handbag made from vegan leather and it doesn’t last long, you’ll need to buy another bag - and that leads us into a cycle of fast throwaway fashion with a non-sustainable way of producing fashion goods.
Vegan or Animal Leather in accessory production?
Answering this question isn’t that simple, as we can see in the above discussion. In stark contrast to what it seems to represent, vegan leather isn’t always a more sustainable option for developing fashion products. Particularly accessories, as the durability, the touch, and the appearance of the product are very relevant to the overall aesthetic and look.
So, if you are a designer or are making your own accessories or fashion items, the best thing you can do is understand the materials that are the most appropriate for your product and how sustainable they might be for the environment. At Clutchmade, we provide material sourcing services, assisting you in developing your accessories brand as sustainably as possible. If you are looking to get started developing your accessory brand, we would highly recommend the Product Design Pack, which happens to be our special summer deal right now ~ so check it out!
The Pack includes our Online Course, “How to get started making accessories in the USA”, the One-Hour Design Consultation with our founder Laura Dotolo, as well as the Tech Pack Consultation, which micro-focuses on the details of your accessory design and includes lots of handbag designing tips. Click here and sign up today!
