The Ultimate Guide To Vegan Leather - How It's Made, Alternatives & Is It REALLY Better Than The Real Thing?

Is Vegan Leather Eco-Friendly?

It can be.

Companies market vegan leather as the ideal solution to the toxic leather industry; however, the environmental impacts of synthetic materials aren’t insignificant. 

Luckily, natural leather alternatives CAN have a negative carbon footprint, repurpose waste material, and have a minimal toxic footprint.

More on this in a bit...

Types of Vegan Leather

In addition, both polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride are not biodegradable and take upwards of several hundreds of years to decompose naturally. 

While they won’t break down into the earth, these plastic leathers age less gracefully than animal leather counterparts, potentially gaining frayed edges, or flakes.

Upcycled Plastic Bottle Leather

One of the biggest trends growing is upcycling of plastics collected in the ocean in the form of bottles and fishing nets into shoes, clothing, and bags. 

Several designers have jumped on board this train to create leather looking bags out of these materials. 

While it does close the loop and minimize the need for virgin materials, there are still concerns about the impacts of reprocessed plastics shedding even more microplastics. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es201811s 

Microplastics come free with every wash from any synthetic clothing including upcycled plastic materials. The most recent study shows that there are 5 trillion pieces of plastics in the ocean, with every wash cycle dislodging thousands of microscopic plastic particles traveling through our waterways.  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0111913

Considering bags and shoes do not often go through the wash, moving plastic bottles from the ocean to over your shoulder might not be a bad idea.

Natural Material Vegan Leather

Luckily, designers and innovators have found methods of converting cork, kelp, pineapple leaves, apple peel, and even mushroom mycelium into sustainable alternatives to leather.

Cork Leather

Cork leather is a beautiful material made from the bark of the cork oak tree. It is durable, has a unique look with the additional benefits of being waterproof, stain resistant and easy to maintain.

To create cork leather, farmers need to wait for a cork tree to mature for 25 years. Then they harvest it for the first time. This first harvest is unusable, and the cork leather used for fashion is collected a whole 9 years later. 

The bark is removed from the tree and left to dry for six months. After this, it is steamed and boiled to improve elasticity before it is cut into thin strips. 

The resulting textile is ready to be fashioned into consumer products. One of the biggest benefits of cork leather, is that during the 9 years the cork tree spends rebuilding its outer bark layer, it absorbs 3-5 times more carbon dioxide. (https://goblackwood.co.uk/cork-leather/)

Seaweed Leather

Dried kelp has been used to imitate materials such as paper, plastic, and increasingly now as leather. 

Its translucency and sustainable sourcing makes it a fantastic alternative to animal leather.

One form of kelp leather is created by mixing seaweed with cellulose. It is then dried and shaped into the desired final product. 

A surprising and positive effect, on top of the sustainability and abundance of seaweed, is that the wearer can absorb vitamin E directly into their skin by wearing kelp leather products. (http://www.nanonic.us/smartcel-Seacell.html)

Pineapple Leather

Pineapple leaves are considered a waste on pineapple plantations. 

By using this byproduct and repurposing it into leather it creates minimal environmental impact and adds more jobs to farming communities.

The long fibers which make up pineapple leaves are collected from the plantations with automated decorticating machines. The part of the leaf which is not used for the leather is returned to the earth, to replenish it with nutrients. 

The leftover fibers are degummed and processed to make an unwoven mesh. These meshes then undergo a finishing process to give them a leather like, soft, flexible, and durable look. (https://www.ananas-anam.com/about-us/

Apple Peel Leather

Apple Peel Skin is another sustainable hybrid material which incorporates apple skin into producing an environmentally friendly leather. 

https://www.appleninealliance.com/apple-peel

It is a relatively new technology which is being continually researched and expanded on.

Banana Leather

Just like pineapple castoffs from the farming process, banana tree waste has been upcycled into vegan leather wallets. 

Banana trees require a LOT of work and maintenance, and the trees must be cut down completely and replanted every year. 

The large amount of banana leaf waste is typically left behind to biodegrade. 

Now this waste has been repurposed to create treasure out of trash by making strong, water resistant banana material which can be used for bags, wallets, and more. http://agreenliving.org/see-how-banana-trees-are-recycled-into-vegan-leather-wallets-in-micronesia/

Mushroom Leather

Mushroom mycelium has the enormous benefit of growing fast, requiring minimal water, and is produced in a carbon-negative process. The resulting material feels and performs like leather. (https://www.mycoworks.com/)

One of the massive benefits of this strong, flexible, water resistant, and durable materials is that it can be uniquely customizable. 

It is made of natural fibers that can grow into any size or shape. Additional textures can be added during the growing process to change the feel and look of the leather. 

In comparison to animal leather, it also takes a fraction of the time and resources to grow a mushroom, requires no post-production and is truly the future of fashion.

Lab Grown Leather

https://www.inc.com/magazine/201804/alden-wicker/prototype-modern-meadow-lab-grown-leather.html

Just like some vegan meat, scientists have now figured out how to create animal skin leather in the lab. Unfortunately for now, the fabric can only be created in small quantities; however, the growing demand for animal free products could quickly change that. 

The lab can grow ‘leather’ in varying colours, thicknesses, and textures all without the downsides of killing an animal or the amount of resources required to keep it alive until harvesting. 

This material will be able to be used in cars, clothing, plane interiors, and furniture. With growing consumer interest, there is nowhere this vegan leather product cannot go.

The lab grown leather is created through a process similar to brewing beer. Gene-edited yeast is used to eat sugar and create collagen. Then the collagen is harvested and turned from a liquid into a solid fibrous material. 

This entire process takes two weeks, which is significantly more efficient and cost effective than the traditional leather process.

What Is It Used For?

Leather is one of the materials which has followed our society closely from the dawn of mankind. 

Shoes, boots, jackets, belts, handbags and wallets are just the start of our dependence on leather. 

Furniture is made of leather, finishing on expensive designer items are leather crafted, and many cars sell leather interiors as their luxury option. 

Ferrari, BMW, Porcha, and just about any other big brand you can think of offers this option. As of 2017, Tesla has produced only vegan seats. They are not perfect, as the steering wheel still has leather wrapping, which can be changed upon request.

If you look around your room, I can almost guarantee you will spot at least two things which have some leather on them. In the room I am sitting in, there are seat cushions, leather shoes and the handle to a wooden box.

Vegan Leather Alternatives

If you do not wish to purchase synthetic vegan alternatives and rather opt for natural and budget friendly options, you can always stick to simple materials.

Bags, shoes, and just about anything can also be made from cotton, hemp, flax, jute, and linen.

Top Vegan Leather Fashion Brands

Maintaining and Caring for Vegan Leather

Polyurethane

To care for your polyurethane faux leather, all you need to do is to soak a cloth sponge and wipe the debris off. Warm water and gentle wiping will be enough to remove dust or debris from your shoes or bags. 

If you have a larger or more stubborn bit of dirt on your accessories just grab a bar of soap and scrub the grime. Once you feel the stain has eased off, grab a damp cloth and wipe any remaining soap to avoid it from damaging the material.

Vinyl

If you are dealing with dirty Vinyl leather, you just need to grab a vacuum and remove any dust, particles, or dirt. Typically, sofas and other furniture are made from vinyl. 

Then use a specific vinyl cleaner on the surface and let sit. After a minute use a soft brush on the surface and by using circular strokes remove any of the dirt. To finish off, wipe down with a clean towel and spray vinyl protectant.

Micro Suede

If you have micro suede, make sure to remove dust, pet hair, and dirt every week with a vacuum. If you do not, the small particles can get embedded in the material and cause premature wear which ruins the material. 

An additional tip to keep your micro suede in top shape is to keep it out of direct sunlight, quickly mop up spills, and clean stains with warm water immediately.

Is Vegan Leather Durable?

It can be. We have found leather in ancient tombs, showing how durable and long lasting it is. One of the concerns many people have with vegan leather alternatives is that they are less durable.

We all have had those cheap leather imitation purses which broke down very quickly.

Synthetic vs Natural

Synthetic leather is essentially plastic and can be made as high or low quality as the manufacturer wishes. This means some forms of synthetic vegan leather are extremely durable, while others start degrading within months of use.

Natural vegan leather alternatives such as cork, pineapple, or mycelium mushroom; however, are not only natural, require less chemical processing than both animal leather and synthetic leather, but are also notably durable.

Is Vegan Leather Eco-Friendly?

Vegan leather is more eco-friendly than animal leather. 

We know that animal leather is certainly not sustainable or environmentally friendly, but how do the vegan counterparts hold up against it? 

Let’s have a quick comparison.

Animal Leather

Pros:

• Is an extremely versatile and affordable material

Cons:

• The enormous carbon footprint of animal agriculture
• Leather is not a by-product of the meat industry as often believed, since the skin of the cows must have minimal blemishes which does not typically happen in the beef or dairy industry.
• The tanning process involves many harsh chemicals (including Chrome) which leach into the surrounding environment, water systems, and poison the people and animals in the area.
• The chemicals used in the animal agriculture and tanning industry lead to the oceans where they suffocate animals by depleting oxygen levels and creating dead zones.
• Due to the toxic tanning process, the animal leather biodegrades slowly and when it does, it leaches the chemicals from that process into the earth.

Synthetic Leather

Pros:

• An affordable alternative to animal leather
• Does not have the environmental footprint of an animal reared and killed for leather
• There is no toxic tanning process

Cons:

• It is a microfibre made from petroleum oil, which is a non-renewable resource
• It requires large amounts of chemicals and processing to manufacture
• It can leach phthalates into the environment
• Shedding microplastics can end up in waterways and the ocean
• It is non-biodegradable

Natural Leather

Pros:

• Is made from natural materials which have a lesser environmental footprint
• Materials such as pineapple or banana leaves are readily available by-products of an existing industry
• Creates durable and high-quality material
• Plant based leather provides new jobs in farming communities
• The growth of veganism is driving down prices and pushing innovation
• Materials such as cork are carbon negative, meaning they sequester more carbon dioxide than they produce

Cons:

• It is a relatively new industry, so start-up costs are high

So, Why Should You Support Vegan Leather?

To help the planet and the animals, investing in vegan leather alternatives is a definite way to go. 

You have a choice from an abundant number of talented designers with cruelty-free options growing in popularity on the runways every single year.

If you are concerned about the environmental impacts of synthetic leather, opt for the natural alternatives which help our planet, the workers, and create demand to drive future prices down.

There is simply no downside in voting with your wallet for a stylish, natural, plant-based leather bag.