5 Things You Need To Know Before Buying Vegan Leather

Ash FordJune 23, 2022

Vegan leather has spiraled in popularity in the last few years. And why not? Well made vegan leather products are often mistaken for real leather. Vegan leather comes in a wide variety of products such as jackets, bags, purses, and belts to name a few. In this article, we will highlight the 5 things you need to know before buying vegan leather. Before delving into that, let’s briefly explore what is vegan leather?

brown leather textile on top of drafting board

What Is Vegan Leather?

According to PETA, vegan leather is made from waste products such as fruit waste (like banana and pineapple fibers, grape skins, apple skins), recycled plastic and rubber, polyurethane (a polymer). There is also plastic-free vegan leather which is known as plant-based leather that does not contain polyurethane.

Now lets’ explore the 5 things you should know before buying vegan leather.

5 Things To Know Before Buying Vegan Leather

1. Environment Friendly

Making real leather is a long process that takes place on a large scale in factory. Poisonous smoke and harmful gases are released during production of leather. On the other hand, vegan leather is literally made from garbage and recycled rubber making it environmentally friendly.

2. Cost Effective

Manufacturing real leather involves buying land for machinery and equipment where financial investment is required. As a result, real leather is expensive and costs more to the buyer. On the other hand, vegan leather requires lesser investment to manufacture and are therefore cheaper in price.

3. Reduces Carbon Emissions

city skyline under blue sky and white clouds

To make real leather trees need to be cut down over a large area to raise animals in butcher houses. Trees absorb and store carbon and release oxygen. Cutting down trees releases the stored carbon in trees into the atmosphere adding to the warming climate further.

4. Cruelty Free

Vegan leather is cruelty-free since it is made only from waste products of fruits, vegetables, and also polyurethane which is a polymer. No animals are harmed in making vegan leather. It can be further said that plant-based vegan leather is even plastic free since it is free of the polymer.

5. Durability

crop unrecognizable craftswoman working on weaving loom machine

Several reviewers of vegan leather have said that durability is another factor to consider when it comes to comparison between real leather and vegan leather. It has been found that vegan leather is thinner and may break easily compared to real leather which is thicker.