There is sometimes a great deal of confusion in the fashion world and among consumers when it comes to vegan products, especially leather alternatives: are they harmful because some of them use polyurethane (PU) and chemicals, or are they the lesser of two evils since they do perfect, circular material does not (yet) exist?
FashionUnited spoke to Claudia Pievani from vegan label Miomojo, which makes handbags and small accessories from various leather alternatives such as cactus, apples or corn, and quickly dispelled some common myths. With her diploma thesis on the greenhouse effect 20 years ago, she entered the environmental debate. When she started her own label almost ten years ago, she continued her studies with extensive research into various vegan products with leather-like properties.
1. Myth: Animal hides/skins are a “by-product” of the food industry
We start our conversation with the often-heard claim that leather is a “by-product of the food industry” and thus reduces the waste products of meat and dairy production. “The leather industry starts their argument in the middle, that is, when the animal is already killed. But when the cow is born, the whole life cycle and intensive farming all contribute to climate change,” notes Pievani.
“In reality, cattle hides are described in industry records as a valuable ‘commodity’ and when the hides fail to sell due to reduced demand – even as the popularity of leather alternatives increases – the slaughterhouses lose millions of dollars in Dollars,” says award-winning French filmmaker and animal rights activist Rebecca Cappelli in her recent documentary Slay.
And what about foxes, raccoons, mink and chinchillas? They’re not raised for their meat, they’re raised for their fur, and that goes straight to the fashion industry. According to Slay, 2.5 billion animals are skinned for the fashion industry every year. It’s big business, of course: “The global leather goods market is set to reach $394 billion in 2020 [rund 370 Milliarden Euro] estimated and growth is expected if little changes,” reports non-profit organization Collective Fashion Justice. The argument that animal skins are merely a “by-product” can therefore be quickly refuted.
Also, when their skins are classified as “by-products,” animals are literally turned into an object: “The living thing disappears and becomes a product,” says Pievani. “Animals are being turned into fashion objects in very disturbing ways, in ways that are deliberately concealed… We are in a system that has normalized cruelty to this extent,” adds Cappelli.
2. Myth: Leather is a “natural product”
Praised for its special properties, durability and ease of processing, leather is often portrayed as a natural material to be used ‘as is’. But that’s far from the truth: “Because dangerous and even carcinogenic chemicals like chromium and formaldehyde are used to process fur and skins – that is, to process them in a way that doesn’t rot the skin – even industry studies show that the Furs used in the fashion industry are not effectively biodegradable. A French ad in Vogue Paris calling fur ‘natural’ and ‘eco-friendly’ has been banned by French advertising authorities as ‘grossly misleading’,” read the Slay collateral material.
Those who work with leather suffer too: tanning workers often have high rates of cancer due to exposure to chemical tanning agents known to be carcinogenic. They also report skin diseases, eye irritation, and chronic respiratory problems, and some even succumb to these health problems and die.
3. Myth: Leather alternatives are less sustainable because they use PU
For example, some leather alternatives such as Desserto’s cactus material is a PU-coated textile with a polyester backing; Piñatex is a non-woven fabric made from pineapple leaf fibers and polylactic acid (PLA), coated with pigmented resin or overmoulded with a high-strength PU film; the apple pulp for AppleSkin is mixed with PU, and Vegea’s grape leather, while 100 percent plastic-free, was changed based on brand feedback.
Miomojo uses AppleSkin and corn ‘leather’ for its bags, the latter being a blend of biopolyols sourced from food and non-GMO grains and textiles made from natural or recycled materials. The raw materials used are FSC-certified viscose or recycled polyester from the GRS post-consumer chain.
“We have carried out life cycle assessments (LCAs) for most of our products and materials, and the fact is that their environmental impact is lower than that of leather,” explains Pievani. In addition, vegan leather alternatives avoid polyethylene (PE), currently the most commonly used plastic in the world, which many textile and clothing products cannot claim.
“You can’t expect leather alternatives to be perfect; the most important thing is that there is progress. At this point it is not possible to switch from leather to something organic, so PU is still necessary. We are still pioneers, but the effort is there,” explains Pievani.
She also points out that the costs are still very high at the moment and that “going for circularity to achieve zero-waste production is a formidable challenge”. In the meantime, there are second-life options for products while “we’re still figuring out what needs to be done to become fully circular,” according to Pievani.
4. Myth: There are no comparable alternatives to leather
Admittedly, there aren’t yet any leather alternatives that offer a perfect replacement, but there are a few that come close and/or offer additional benefits. The fact is that as demand increases, traditional leather processors will have to adapt to these new, ethical materials.
Here are some of them:
- Mirum, a 100 percent plastic-free, 100 percent vegan alternative that contains only natural materials such as rubber, vegetable oils and agricultural by-products such as rice husks and citrus peels. The sustainable shoe brand Allbirds recently launched its first sneakers from Mirum.
- desserto is a highly resilient, long-lasting and partially bio-based alternative that saves emissions, reduces dependence on fossil fuels and requires no irrigation for harvest.
- Pinatex is 100 percent vegan, almost 95 percent biodegradable and is made largely from otherwise discarded pineapple leaf fibers. It has already been used by brands such as Hugo Boss, Nike, H&M, Zara, NAE Vegan and Altiir.
- Mylo is derived from mycelium, the root system of mushrooms, and can be grown in vertical indoor farms in a matter of days. Big names like Stella McCartney, Kering and Lululemon are already using this material.
5. Myth: Vegan “leather” capitalizes on the name and popularity of leather
It’s true that leather alternatives are often referred to as vegan “leathers” such as cactus leather, pineapple leather, and so on. However, this is only done to convey to consumers that the properties of the material are leather-like and comparable, that it feels like leather, for example. New terminology is undoubtedly overdue, and the fashion industry could take inspiration from the food industry, where vegan alternatives are already well established.
“We have to get away from leather, also in terms of terminology. At the same time, you have to convey a clear picture of how it feels. The term ‘leather’ has been used in the past to compare alternative materials and as a reference for people to understand, but now that the materials are more mainstream it might be better to use the term ‘alternative materials to leather’ use. In our Italian materials we don’t use the term ‘leather’ at all,” concludes Pievani.
By dropping the term “leather” and introducing trade names or a new category (like vegan or ethical materials), leather alternatives can prevail and take their place among the materials that offer the best properties to consumers and everyone along the journey Show respect to the supply chain.