From big brands like Prada and Calvin Klien to small business owners and fashion designers selling on Etsy, vegan leather is taking the sustainable fashion world by storm.
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries and has one of the highest carbon footprint when it comes to both consumer and luxury goods. You can read the harmful social and environmental impacts of fast fashion in this detailed article here, which also lists out helpful tips on steps you can take to transition to a more sustainable and slow choice of fashion and lifestyle. The leather industry in itself is one of the major contributors to water, air and soil pollution, not to mention the cruel and inhumane treatment of animals in factory farms all over the world.
This has led to a strong and increasingly popular move towards the use of vegan leather alternatives, especially when it comes to lifestyle and fashion accessories.
What is Vegan Leather?
Vegan leather is any kind of fabric that is not derived from animals. Additionally, any part of the product including the use of glues and sealants as well as any fixtures and awnings must not contain animal derivatives. PETA, the certification body for standardising vegan products defines vegan products as either made from polyutherane (Pu leather) or plant-based, which it calls "innovative and sustainable materials such as [the use of] pineapple leaves, cork, apple peels, other fruit waste".
Which Vegan Leather is the best option to use?
Although Pu leather is vegan, and has other advantages such as affordability and ease of maintenance, there are a number of drawbacks of Pu leather that are important to consider, especially when compared to plant-based leather.
Pu leather has a high carbon footprint
Pu leather takes a longer time to decompose
Pu leather requires high quantities of water in its manufacturing process
Pu leather uses chemicals and toxins
On the other hand, plant-based leather alternatives have a number of similiar properties, which can be grouped under:
Plant-based leather uses natural and in many cases organic and chemical-free raw materials
Plant-based leather is more sustainable as it uses food waste as a by-product through the process of circular economy.
Plant-based leather has a smaller water and carbon footprint.
Plant-based leather is biodegradable.
5 of the Best Plant-Based Leather Alternatives
In the last couple of years, there has been an intense interest as well as research and development of a wide variety of plant-based leather alternatives. From bananas to green tea leaves, the possibiities are endless. However, the following five vegan leather alternatives have been the most promising both in terms of affordability and access as well as the ease of use of the material itself.
1. Cactus Leather
This beautiful, smooth and luxury quality plant-based leather is derived from the cactus leaves in Mexico. Desserto, the company behind the technology harvests the leaves to produce cactus leather that is sustainable and free of chemicals and toxins. Currently used in footwear, interiors, handbags and apparel,
2. Pineapple Leather
Made from pineable leaf fibre, Pinatex is an innovative vegan leather alternative used for footwear, handbags and accessories. The leaves of the pineapple, which would have otherwise been wasted during the harvest period, are collected, washed, dried and processed to create the pineapple-leather textile.
3. Cork Leather
The bark of the cork oak tree is stripped off from the tree (and the tree is left to regenerate), after which it is left to dry and settle, before being processed to form cork leather fabric sheets. Because of its water-resistant and light-weight properties, cork leather is one of the most popular vegan leather alternatives used from household items to bags, footwear and fashion accessories. House of Ethics retails bags, wallets and accessories made from 100% chemical-free cork leather that are treated with eco-friendly dyes.
4. Apple Leather
Waste from apple farms (the juice, scraps and apple skin) is collected, dried, pulverised and then treated to create the apple leather fabric. This beautiful fabric, fully approved by PETA is used to manufacture bags, accessories and even yoga mats!
5. Leaf Leather
Using sustainably sourced fallen leaves, leaf leather is made by processing and drying tree leaves to fabric sheets. The resulting leaf leather is both light weight and unique with its own intrinsic pattern. Leaf leather is used for making bags, wallets and other accessories.
So there you have it...all you need to know about what vegan leather is, and the five most innovative and sustainable types of plant-based leather alternatives. I hope you found this article useful and will give plant-based leather a try. You can check out our collection of bags and wallets here or you can subscribe to get more content like this in your inbox (plus we also offer a 10% off across your entire order when you sign up!).
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