vegan leather

What is Vegan Leather?

With the world shifting towards more and more sustainable choices and conscious consumption, you may have come across many buzzwords. One such is going โ€˜Veganโ€™. Now, what exactly does this mean?

In simple terms, being a vegan means consuming animal-free products. 

To elaborate, a true follower of a vegan lifestyle avoids eating meat, dairy, eggs, or any other animal-derived products like honey. They also avoid using leather as they are made from the skin of animals and also avoid using products tested on animals. 

This is where vegan leather comes into the picture.

What is vegan leather?

Vegan leather is a material that mimics leather (looks and feels like it) but is created from artificial or plant products instead of animal skins.

What is vegan leather made of?

More often than not, vegan leather is made from two different plastic polymers; polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU). Since they give a wrinkled texture which helps to give the effect of real leather, these polymers are most commonly used. 

At the same time, vegan leather is also known to be made from natural materials and does not always have to be from plastic. Rubber is one of the closest plant-sourced fabrics that can effortlessly mimic leather. Some of the innovative and sustainable materials, particularly plant sources used are cactus, pineapple leaves, apple peels, cork, and other fruit waste.

How is leather harmful?

  • Depleting Animal Life

More than a billion animals โ€“ domestic animals like cows, pigs, goats, and sheep, as well as wild animals such as alligators, ostriches, kangaroos, moreover even dogs and cats – are cruelly slaughtered for their skins each year. The process is brutally done, with no mercy shown to the animals.

  • Use of Harmful Chemicals

Because of the tanning process involved, real leather is a harmful material to work with. A lot of energy and chemicals are used to transform the animal skin into a leather material usable and wearable.

This process employs the use of strong and harsh chemicals to break down the protein in the skin. These chemicals speed up the process and hence are preferred over natural methods. 

  • Environmental Damage

A major concern rueing the leather generation industry is the use of heavy metals in the tanning and dyeing process. These injurious chemicals put the environment at risk when leaked into water streams and exposed to the workers and in turn the wearers too. Tannery waste consists of sulphides, acids, water-fouling salts, lime sludge, and other harmful pollutants.

When chemicals leak into the water, there is an imbalance caused by the excessive richness of nutrients. This in turn promotes the growth of algae and leads to the death of aquatic life because of the lack of oxygen in the waters. In extreme cases, on continuous exposure, the workers in the tanneries are at risk of contracting deadly health risks such as lung cancer and leukaemia.

Is Vegan leather fake leather?

Vegan leather means faux leather or โ€˜fake leather. They both are essentially the same thing and are used interchangeably.

Benefits of Vegan Leather

  • Cruelty-free 

Nothing is โ€˜killedโ€™ in the process of making vegan leather. And not only does it make you look good, it also makes you feel good as itโ€™s cruelty-free. 

  • Eco-friendly

Our planet loves sustainable vegan leather. Converting animal skin into leather incorporates a lot of energy and a toxic mix of chemicals. These include coal-tar derivatives, formaldehyde, mineral salts, oils, dyes, and finishes, a few of them cyanide-based, having a devastating effect on the environment.

So when you buy sustainable vegan leather products, it does not leave a negative effect on the environment.

  • Close to the real thing

Now you know what vegan leather can be made of and how it is far more eco-friendly than what goes into real leather products. A lot of improvements have been made in the process and the finish of the products, so much so, that you can often mistaken well-made vegan leather items for the real thing.

Is Vegan leather more sustainable than real leather?

Now that you know leather and the process that goes into manufacturing has detrimental effects on the environment, it may make you shift your perspective in favour of better alternatives such as vegan leather, for it being more sustainable.

Plastic-based leather is not sustainable

Vegan alternatives may seem to have a lower negative impact on the environment than real animal leather. But it does have drawbacks, particularly when it is made from plastic.

Plastic-based clothing can pose a threat during and after its lifespan as it could possibly end up in landfills or water sources. They take years to degrade and during this time they release toxic chemicals, thereby making them unsustainable. An estimated 13 million tonnes of synthetic fibres enter our oceans each year. (source: Harper Bazaar)

In the same vein, awareness of the dangers of plastic-based materials once used is important. But what is more important to know is how its microfibres shed and threaten human health whilst using the product. And thereby resulting in the accumulation of microplastics in the food chain.

Faux Leather and Greenwashing

As stated earlier, some vegan leather is created from plant sources and plant-based materials, while others are made from artificial or man-made sources. Thus, when assessing the sustainability credentials of vegan leather, you need to take a closer look at its raw properties and how it is made โ€“ always remember, not all vegan leather is created equal.

This in turn raises another issue called Greenwashing. It is when brands use the latest buzzwords in their marketing campaign and on the product to appear more environmentally friendly. Therefore, as a conscious consumer, it becomes imperative to do your background research on the brands and substitute materials that youโ€™re putting your money on, both processes and the products.

Rubber as Vegan Leather

At Rimagined, we take sustainability seriously. All our products and the processes with which we make craft our products is eco-friendly. With a view to promote upcycling and support naturally occurring alternatives to real leather, we encourage the use of rubber. This rubber is sourced from the discarded inner rubber tubes of tyres of vehicles, which would otherwise have been dumped in landfills. It undergoes the following hygiene process.

Tyre Tube Cleaning Process

  • First, we soak the tubes overnight in water to get rid of the accumulated dirt. 
  • Next, we soak them in hot water along with soapnuts (reetha), a sustainable, naturally occurring cleanser. No chemical agents are used.
  • Post this a round of scrubbing using soapnuts is done which helps remove any remaining dirt.
  • Finally, we give a luxurious shine to the rubber using coconut oil. The product is ready, all clean and devoid of any smell.

This rubber is then cut and crafted into numerous interesting repurposed products, ranging from laptop bags to coin pouches. Our two-fold approach during raw material sourcing and product development ensures no unnecessary harm to the environment and retaining waste from being dumped into landfills. 

Hurdles for Vegan Leather

One of the primary reasons is the lack of awareness and how consumers view vegan leather. A perception of superior value attached to leather makes consumers more likely to keep and covet leather products over synthetic alternatives.

References:

  • https://www.peta.org/living/personal-care-fashion/what-is-vegan-leather/
  • https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a30640996/vegan-leather-sustainability/
  • https://www.iamgoingvegan.com/is-vegan-leather-durable/