However meat consumption is increasing in certain segments of the population. There is no guarantee this trend will continue especially since it’s unhealthy to eat so much of it.

The meat industry is heavily subsidized by governments of the world and is not sustainable with our planetary resources, we cannot keep clearing Amazonian forests for cattle ranching.

It’s important to note that the use of fur has dropped dramatically in recent years.

Looks like Lumo had too much catnip.

Thousands of people are going vegan every year thus the force of supply and demand would require the beef industry to scale back operations.

It will go away sooner if everyone stopped using leather.

It’s related to how you may want to avoid plastic…

You guys drink something other than water in your car?

There’s always cloth seats car manufacturers can use instead.

The single largest producer of micro plastics is car tires.

This will become worse with evs unfortunately since they’re heavier due to the batteries, they will become lighter over time though.

This report covers a preliminary life cycle assessment (LCA) on imitation leather made from hemp fiber (hemp leather) and a comparison to bovine leather, to examine whether hemp leather is an environmentally sustainable alternative. The bovine leather industry is responsible for heavy chemical use and emissions, detrimental effects to the environment as well as to human health. The United Nations (UN) and other organizations call for immediate action against the animal product industry sector to greatly reduce emissions and protect the environment. Hemp is a versatile plant that can be used for many things, including paper, composites, textiles, food and medicine, and is probably a suitable material for imitation leather. The hemp plant requires little inputs, grows fast and without pesticides, has positive effects on the environment and can be cultivated on every inhabited continent. The preliminary LCA was based on a patent describing the manufacturing process of hemp leather completed with data from literature and a few assumptions made. LCA- results for bovine leather were collected from literature and the two leather fabrics were then compared. The comparison showed that hemp leather is superior to bovine leather in all compared categories except for water consumption and hazardous waste. Bovine leather had 99% more energy use, 78% higher acidification potential (AP), 99,9% higher eutrophication potential (EP) and 83% higher global warming potential (GWP) than hemp leather. The large water consumption in the manufacturing phase of hemp leather is possible to be explained by over dimensioning of inputs. The report concludes that hemp leather would be the environmentally and ethically admirable choice between the two leathers and that more research on more modern methods of manufacturing it should be performed.

Source 1

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the leather industry towards sustainable and innovative alternatives to traditional leather production methods. Alongside this trend, efforts have been made to reduce environmental damage by focusing on natural tanning methods in the production of natural leather, thus adopting more sustainable production techniques. Alternative materials such as apple leather, pineapple leather, banana leather, cactus leather, bacterial cellulose leather and cork leather have emerged as viable options in response to this shift. Additionally, there has been notable development in exotic leather alternatives, with materials like crocodile, puffer fish, and ostrich leather taking the forefront. These exotic leather options not only offer alternatives but also aim to fulfill specific purposes such as habitat conservation, particularly evident in the case of puffer fish leather production. The aim is not only to provide alternative materials but also to ensure environmental sustainability and ethical practices throughout the production process. This article delves into the description of alternative leather options while also providing an analysis of the life cycle of leather. It aims to underscore the importance of discovering innovative and sustainable leather alternatives in reducing the environmental footprint of the leather industry. By considering various materials and utilizing tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), stakeholders can work towards a more sustainable and ethical future for leather production.

Source 2

The global leather industry has been at the receiving end of various environmental and ethical backlash as it mainly relies on animal agriculture which contributes to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and animal welfare concerns. In addition, the processing of animal hides into leather generates a huge amount of toxic chemicals, which ultimately get released into the environment. Thus, growing concern for environmental sustainability has led to the exploration of alternative materials to conventional animal-based leather. In this regard, the application of fungal leather alternatives in material technology is gaining traction because of its high biodegradability, biocompatibility, renewability, as well as its affordable and carbon-neutral growth processes. Fungal leather alternatives have been found to possess significant mechanical and physical properties, thanks to the interwoven hyphal network of the fungal mycelium, as well as antimicrobial activities which have been ascribed to their bioactive metabolites. Various fungal species, including those from the Agaricus, Fomes, Ganoderma, Phellinus, and Pleutorus genera, are currently being investigated for their potential in this area. This review, therefore, attempts to gain insights into the recent advances in scientific research and real-world applications of fungal-derived leather like materials. It makes a compelling case for this sustainable alternative and discusses the morphology-property relationship of the fungal mycelium driving this innovation. Additionally, the current processing methods and major players in the fungal leather substitute industry are presented. The paper also brings attention to the challenges facing the full deployment of fungal leather substitutes and proposes solutions with the aim of encouraging further research and resource mobilization for the acceptance of this renewable leather substitute.

Source 3

Despite its reputation, leather is definitively not a byproduct. The modern leather industry does not reduce the waste of animal agriculture, it collaborates in it. Leather is best viewed as a coproduct, meaning that the two industries are distinct, but inextricably linked.

The global leather goods market is gigantic, and Grand View Research predicts it will reach USD $405.28 billion by 2030, up from $242.85 billion in 2022. In 2020, global production reached 12.5 million tonnes and included the skin of over 1.4 billion animals. (That’s nearly 20 percent of the entire human population at the time killed within a single year.)

Apart from the staggering inherent environmental footprint of raising cattle, turning hides into leather itself has a significant impact. So significant, in fact, that Collective Fashion Justice believes turning hides into products creates more CO2e emissions – about 110kg per square meter – than simply putting them straight into landfill. (Which is very likely where the product will end up rotting and producing emissions eventually, anyway.)

It’s also not just cows that are used to produce leather. Hides from sheeps*, lambs, goats, and pigs are also frequently used, while animals such as crocodiles, alligators, snakes, kangaroos, zebras, elephants, and more – including rare, endangered, and keystone species – are hunted specifically for their skins, frequently for luxury accessories by high-end brands.

Fashion designer and vegan icon Stella McCartney, who uses plant-based alternatives to leather in her various products, previously told Plant Based News (PBN) that the idea of leather was a byproduct was “sheer nonsense.” She added: “I’m here to let people know that’s a lie that’s been created by the meat industry and leather boards.”

https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/the-problem-with-leather-cruel/

I suppose that would be the case in India.

The leather industry keeps the environmental destructive beef industry alive.

The Beef Industry Knew Its Climate Impact as Early as 1989 — and Worked to Obfuscate the Science

Leather is not a natural or sustainable by-product, it’s a profitable material produced at the expense of the planet

I’m really warming up to Mailbox.org!

This has sparked me to look at Tuta.

Canadians are at the forefront of the boycott for a reason.

ICE just had a Canadian killed in custody due to neglect. We won’t forget Johnny Noviello.

Let’s shrink that American economy well below 20% of the world’s gdp!