The Problem with Leather

Have you ever seen a product promoted as being made with “vegan leather?” Assuming you have, do you actually know what that means? It turns out this is just one example of the growing problem faced by fashion brands using any form of leather in their products. There are new leathers made from plant materials like bamboo or cactus and fruit peels such as pineapple or apple. These options seem to be very eco-friendly, until you consider how much energy (and sometimes plastics) are still required to make them.

Vegan leather

Alternatively, traditional animal-derived leather is sometimes described as cruel or resource intensive but the truth about cow leather is that cow hides are generally a byproduct of the meat industry and therefore could be described as an example of upcycling. In other words, if we didn’t use cow hides to make leather, they would be discarded anyway.

So what can the identity crisis and widespread consumer confusion around leather, in all its formats, teach us about solving a tough industry-wide issue and offering clarity? The first is that education is key and there are more groups dedicated to trying to help people understand what the various terms and types of leather really mean. The second is branding. Right now, most forms of leather aren’t branded in a way that is easily understood and remembered. There is a reason people pay more for Gore-Tex or choose avocados from Mexico or choose to wear watches made in Switzerland. Until leathermakers of all sorts manage to create something similar, I suspect they will continue to struggle with this awareness and marketing problem.