It is possible to use leather for a number of purposes because it is a versatile material. The fashion and automotive industries, among others, place a premium on it. In many nations, especially India, the leather industry is a major source of wealth. People use leather extensively in their daily life, including in their bags, clothes, shoes, furniture, and automobile seats, among other things. Leather is essential to the fashion business as it develops into a fashion statement. There are two types of leather: natural leather, which comes from animals, and vegan leather, which is synthetic. The quality of leather depends on the raw material and the way it is chemically treated. Multi-national Corporations have invested heavily in this industry, and this shows that people enjoy these leather products. In fact, leather technology and engineering has emerged as the latest field of study. This paper shall explore the superiority of vegan leather over natural leather.
Vegan Leather: An Alternative to Natural Leather
Vegan leather is artificial leather that is used in place of the natural leather. It is traded under different names such as faux leather, pleather, or leatherette. It is manufactured from a fabric base which the chemicals such as wax, dye or polyurethane are used to treat it for color and texture. Eventually, it is artificial and is purposed to offer an alternative to the genuine leather at a lower cost. The most common kind is p-leather (Kanigel 5). It is a plastic fabric devised to look like genuine leather. It has low weight and is versatile compared to the natural leather and could be dyed to any color. Vegan leather is in numerous forms and varies in terms of quality.
Production Process and Animal Welfare
Leather may be produced from cattle, pigs, goats, sheep or animals like alligators, ostriches or even dogs which were slaughtered for their skin and meat (Pant n.p). This often happens in China, which is the largest exporter of skins globally. Since the leather is not labeled, it can be difficult to know where it comes from. Majority of the leather, however, comes from China and India where animal welfare regulations do not exist or are not implemented. The process of making leather from animals is a long procedure done by professionals in a factory setting.
The Fascination with Leather in Fashion
I got interested in this topic because I love fashion so much, I often follow every fashion trend out there and the leather attire, as well as accessories, never go out of style. What fascinated me, even more, is that I had no clue that the high-end designers also use faux leather in their products. I often thought they use the natural leather considering their high prices. What I love about this is that I get to get information on how to differentiate between the real leather and the vegan one. Most of the products made from vegan leather are equally good, therefore, it makes it hard for one to know which real leather is and which is not. The only issue I had is designers using vegan leather in their products and passing it off as genuine and selling it at an extremely high price, and this topic, therefore, has helped me get more information on the same.
Distinguishing Real Leather from Vegan Leather
Vegan leather has improved greatly in the past, and it gets difficult to distinguish it from the real leather. There are, however, ways of distinguishing real from an artificial one. When a person wears made from leather for a long time, it develops cracks on the surface, expands naturally and is comfortable to wear over time, shoes from vegan leather, however, tend to fell hard even after a long time (JGshoe n.p). Both real and vegan leather has a smell. Vegan leather has this vinyl and chemical-like smell while real leather has a distinct odor of leather and animals. Real leather has a smooth gloss, small pores as well as fine lines, faux leather, on the other hand, is very glossy but has no noticeable pores or fine lines. Real leather folds into half gently and never wrinkles because of the inflexibility on its curve whereas vegan leather has no smooth curve or flexibility. When burned, vegan leather burns easily and inwards whereas real leather does not burn easily (JGshoe n.p). Vegan leather is very light in weight whereas real leather is heavy. Although leather from different animals varies in weight, for instance, lambskin is lighter than cow skin leather; it is still heavier than faux leather. This information is very important to me as it will help me when purchasing leather products in the future. I will know exactly the value of a product.
Advantages of Vegan Leather
I find vegan leather having a lot of superiority over real leather in many ways. Vegan leather is more cost-effective. Real leather is extremely on the higher side, in fact, high-end designers have opted to use high-quality vegan leather for their products. Faux leather is just a fraction of the cost of the real leather, yet it still produces quality products. It allows people who cannot afford high-end leather products to afford at favorable prices. Additionally, there is only a slight difference in the quality of the products; it only takes a keen person to know it is not genuine.
Vegan leather is ideal for big projects. One’s leather options only go as wide as the availability of the animals the leather comes from. Therefore when one needs a large quantity of leather, vegan is the way to go. For big projects that need a large continuous piece, vegan leather can only fulfill that, and it can be custom made just for that purpose. Real leather is only excellent for small projects (Cockrill n.p). Another advantage is that vegan leather has consistency in color. Because it is manufactured from a machine, it appears the same all through the piece. Natural leather is perfect for distinct pieces; however it one needs true cohesion, nothing beats machine consistency. This is excellent for a project for identical costumes, chairs among others. The look shall be identical for every character.
Vegan leather has more versatility. It can come in every color since it can be customized to what the designer wants. Real leather lacks this versatility has it comes in almost identical colors. Beautiful colors, shapes as well as patterns can be found in the vegan world (Cockrill n.p). Vegan leather is easy to use. For sewing works, the vegan option is simpler to be employed. It is simple to cut or sew with, and the constant look allows it to be perfect for redos. The edges and hemlines are less visible in vegan leather, and it just blends well with any pattern.
Since it is artificial leather, it is not limited. Faux leather can be made anytime, and a person can order even bulk orders without having troubles following it up. There are often difficulties in obtaining real leather as the supply is not steady (Cockrill n.p). Animals have to be reared, and it takes time to mature for it to provide the needed skin. Vegan leather looks just like the real leather; therefore it is difficult to distinguish it. Vegan leather is perfect for use in home furnishings or car seat covers due to its low maintainability. They are normally stain-free, therefore no worries when pets or youngsters are around. Cleaning it is easy as well and may just be wiped with a wet rag. It never retains moisture, therefore, it dries easily and does not get cracked.
Vegan leather is more environmentally friendly since it does not come from animals. Numerous individuals have argued that leather is a by-product of the meat industry, however, in some cases, meat is the by-product. Ostriches are kept purely for their leather. Alligators, snakes, and sharks have exotic leather, and therefore they are hunted or bred specifically for their skin. Since leather is the most profitable part of a cow when sold as clothing. Leather is a profitable co-product of meat and has responsibility for the environmental effect of animal agriculture. Since meat and leather industries are interlinked, all matters of animal agriculture form a facet of leather production and animal agriculture is not friendly to the ecosystem (Pant n.p). Animal agriculture contributes to 18 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is something that is affecting people currently; therefore emission from animal agriculture ought to be dealt with.
Furthermore, preparing an area for animals to graze and the land to cultivate animal feed also entails mass deforestation. A large percentage of land is committed to feeding crop. Currently, a large percentage of previously Amazon forest is utilized for pastures or animal feed (Pant n.p). Deforestation results in the loss of habitat for millions of species, annihilates the quality of the soil underneath, and triggers climate change. Animal agriculture also drains water resources. It uses a huge amount of water for animals to drink and also for the irrigation of feed crop. In fact, it is known to be the main cause of water pollution as a result of animal waste, antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, and fertilizers utilized for growing foliar. Environmental issues involved in animal agriculture are a lot.
Another environmental issue is tanning. Animal skin ought to be treated to safeguard it against decomposition. Leather tanning is among the top pollution problems globally. Tanning is done using a mixture of dangerous chemicals which generate high quantities of pollutants. There is no safer way of tanning leather. Chromium tanning, the most popular type poses great risks to the ecosystem and humans. The untreated waste from tanneries is disposed of into water sources, and it pollutes it posing a danger to the environment, people, and animals. This kind of disposal is prevalent in nations with lax environmental protection guidelines. Chromium-polluted water poses health risks such as respiratory disease, infections, and birth defects to people who use it. Also, pollution has destroyed aquatic creatures as well as plant life.
Counterargument
Vegan leather may seem superior over real leathers; however, real leather still has some advantages. Real leather is durability. Compared to the synthetic ones, products made from real leather last long. Even though they are quite expensive, one can be certain that real leather can last for years if not decades. Unlike vegan leather, real leather is very tough. They are excellent for items that are subject to expose to frequent wear and tear. All biking attires, for instance, are made from real leather. Professional riders also adorn real leather attire.
Real leather ages well unlike vegan leather. Real leather stretches, fades, and texturizes as it gets old and this causes it to look even better. One rarely throws away real leather even after years of using or wearing it as it gets even better with time. Fake leather, on the other hand, rips and does fade after a while making it look old and worn out (McCutcheon n.p). One has no option but to throw it away. Purchasing products made from real leather is an investment that can last for a long time.
Real leather, being a natural material, is breathable. It allows a person to breathe inside unlike faux leather, which traps sweat making one feel very uncomfortable. Vegan leather has some unpleasant smell, whereas real leather, on the other hand, has this beautiful distinct smell that is soothing and conveys a sense of luxury, for instance, in an upmarket showroom (McCutcheon n.p). It has been reproduced and incorporated as a note in some designer perfumes. Vegan leather is made of PVC which is not biodegradable. The production of PVC materials releases toxic chemicals known as dioxins. Dioxins promote developmental disturbances and heighten the chance of cancer occurrence. Plastic synthetics are not biodegradable; they generate micro-particles that are consumed by animals and therefore enter into the food chain at all levels when broken down it. It also pollutes rivers and causing disturbances to the ecosystem.
Conclusion
Vegan leather might not be long-lasting or breathable; however, it has advantages over real leather. Considering the fact that natural leather might result in animal cruelty as well as environmental damage, I prefer vegan leather. It might not have the smell of natural leather or have that quality effect; however, it is a better alternative. Vegan leather is not only affordable to all, but it is also has flexibility and versatility.Leather will continue to be the central part of people’s lives and therefore environmental protection standards ought to be tightened to safeguard our ecosystem. As stated previously, the major producers of hide skin are China and India, India in particular has very lax environmental laws. Therefore the environmental impacts do not only affect India but eventually result in climate change which affects the whole world.
Vegan leather needs no slaughter of animals, deforestation for land for animal craze or strain of water resources. Therefore vegan leather does not contribute to environmental degradation. The only requirement would be a location for setting production facilities. Synthetic materials have progressed, and the manufacturers are advancing and innovating ways to enhance sustainability. Since leather is key in the textile industry, more so vegan leather, research is being done in the way of using environmentally friendly materials to reduce degradation of the ecosystem.
Works Cited
“How To Distinguish Between A Real Leather And A Faux Leather?.” Jgshoe.Com, 2017, http://www.jgshoe.com/2015/07/7-ways-to-compare-a-real-leather-and-a-faux-leather/.
“The Leather Industry.” PETA, 2017, https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/leather-industry/.
cockrill, mary. “The Advantages Of Faux Leather | Ehow UK.” Ehow UK, 2017, http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_8265579_advantages-faux-leather.html.
Kanigel, Robert. Faux Real: Genuine Leather and 200 Years of Inspired Fakes. , 2010. Internet resource
McCutcheon, Jody. 2017, https://eluxemagazine.com/magazine/what-the-heck-is-vegan-leather/.
Pant, Hanna-Amanda. “Vegan Leather Vs. Biodegradable Leather: Which Is The Winner?.” Mochni, 2017, https://www.mochni.com/vegan-leather-vs-biodegradable-leather-which-is-the-winner/.
