Leather: a material that most of us have worn, but not everyone knows the origins of. There are a lot of myths surrounding leather – its provenance, the practices around it, and its impact on the environment. Here, we set some facts straight and debunk some commonly held myths around this material, and its vegan counterparts.
Animal leather is biodegradable.
This, at its core, is true. Any natural fibre or ingredient biodegrades (which basically is just a fancy word for rotting). But it wouldn't be desirable to the industry to have its products biodegrade on the wearer's back, so leather goes through various stages of production to keep it from biodegrading. Skins are treated with chemicals such as chromium, aluminium and coal-tar derivatives to ensure longevity. These substances can be highly toxic and have a poisonous, polluting effect on the environment.
Animal leather is plastic-free.
This is a common myth that once again goes back to the issue of durability. To preserve its look and quality, animal leather often has a plastic coating (commonly polyurethane). So, while the industry loves to point the finger at vegan leather for being “made from plastic”, the sad truth is that plastic is very pervasive in fashion and in our society in general, and animal leather is not exempt from it. It's not something the industry shouts about (understandably), but few fashion products are entirely free from plastic and fossil fuels. The good news is that today, plastic-free vegan leather is available – Mirum, a material made by US company Natural Fiber Welding, is made from plant waxes and oils, without any petroleum-derived ingredients.
Today we have at our disposal a lot of bio-based vegan leathers - for example, apple leather, corn leather, and cactus leather – and some of them have a small quantity of polyurethane to enhance their resistance and durability. The good news is that the research for plastic-free and biodegradable materials is advancing fast, in fact, today is already available a plant-based alternative completely without plastic.