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In this article, our goal is to present to you all the preconceived ideas about leather and alternative bio-materials to leather called vegan “leather” for making vegan sneakers.
Leather is a by-product of the meat industry
This reasoning seems simplistic to us. If the hides of cattle were not resold, the profitability of breeding would be lower and this would have an impact on the attractiveness of the sector and therefore on the number of cows. The figures There is disagreement about the share that skin represents in the profit of a raised animal. Some estimate it at 40%, others at much less or even nothing.
In our opinion, it is reasonable to attribute part of the CO2 emissions linked to cattle breeding to leather. Let us recall that according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), livestock breeding generates 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide . It is in particular the methane emitted by cows that must be limited because it has a warming potential 21 to 31 times higher than that of carbon dioxide.
Vegetable leather does not exist
Well yes, vegetable leather exists . What does not exist is vegan leather, but we will come back to that later. Vegetable leather refers to the tanning method. It is the vegetable tanning of real leather. Ideally, we should talk about vegetable tanned leather. There are two tanning methods:
Mineral tanning requires a highly polluting chemical treatment, mainly with chromium salts. Chrome tanning is both very harmful to tannery workers who inhale heavy metals and to the rivers and soils into which the residues are dumped.
Vegetable tanning is carried out using tannins present in the bark, leaves and roots of oak, acacia, mimosa, etc. This tanning method, although much better for the planet and people, is not as effective in terms of the properties and characteristics of the leather, which is less elastic and less resistant to sun and rain than leather that has undergone a mineral tanning process.
Mineral tanning is very largely predominant. 95% of leather tanning is mineral. This method is in fact much faster (8 to 12 hours compared to 48 to 72 hours for vegetable tanning), less expensive and allows to obtain better results in terms of the technical characteristics of the leather.
Vegan leather is growing
There are now some great alternatives to leather available but the term vegan leather is a misnomer . Leather is a registered term defined as "The material derived from animal skin, transformed to be made rot-proof and supple". Leather can come from different animals: cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, reptiles, fish or birds but certainly not from plants or fruits. Vegan leather is an oxymoron (leather = animal origin, vegan = plant origin). It is the tanning process that transforms animal skin into leather.
Leather has been used since prehistoric times to protect against bad weather and the cold, but in a world where the population is larger and has become environmentally conscious, man has developed alternatives to preserve animals and produce differently.
The name vegan leather comes from the fact that aesthetically, qualitative eco-responsible alternatives look very much like leather. In the collective mind, vegan leather generally corresponds to imitation vegetable leathers made from cereal or fruit fibers. This term is also used to distinguish them from synthetic imitation leathers such as Skaï® or made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
Vegan “leather” is not as aesthetically pleasing as animal leather
When done right, bio-materials made from cereals or fruits are usually mistaken for animal leather. These innovative materials now offer textures that imitate the grain of leather. The end result is very different from the 100% synthetic faux leather materials and skai pants that were cracking in our wardrobes.
These low-carbon bio-materials are generally more flexible and lighter than leather. They are waterproof and durable.
Alternative bio-materials to leather are cheaper than leather
This is false! Innovative materials based on cereals, plants and fruits are highly sought after, rare and expensive. In reality, they are as expensive or even more expensive than leather of animal origin. This is true for those of Coronet or Viridis based on corn, Vegea based on grape marc, Appleskin based on apple, Piñatex based on pineapple fibers or Desserto based on cactus. Italy is a pioneer in these innovative bio-materials subjects, it is notably the birthplace of Coronet, Vegea or Appleskin.
So-called vegan leather made from these bio-materials is different from plastic textiles imitating leather such as "skai" which are only composed of petroleum derivatives mainly PVC and polyurethane. Moreover, fast fashion brands use these plastic materials because they are cheaper than real leather.
Conversely, premium and luxury brands are increasingly interested in plant-based bio-materials similar to leather because they see them as a qualitative alternative that meets their growing demands in terms of environmental impact.
These bio-materials are therefore enjoying growing success with more and more followers happy to contribute to the protection of the planet and relieved not to be confronted with potential issues of animal ethics .
Innovative bio-materials imitating leather are not resistant
Again, this is false. It depends on the design methods and the thickness of these materials. But well made by reputable suppliers, these alternatives are quite durable . We tested ours based on corn for many months.
If you too would like to take a step forward and contribute to reducing CO2 emissions with our vegan corn-based sneakers, we recommend you check out our Wild Walker and Master Mind models.
