@rose_alibi i came across this recently and thought you may be interested.
cow leather actually seems to be far worse environmentally than “vegan” (plastic) leather. some excerpts from the link below:
> Every day, an estimated 40 million litres of untreated waste-water [from tanneries] flows through major tanning country India and into the Ganges River, which people drink from and bathe in.
> More tanneries than any other business type appear on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund list.
> 95% of US tanneries now operate overseas to avoid environmental oversight penalties. The land under ex-tannery sites cannot be used for farming, be built on, or often even be sold.
> To make 1 typical cow skin leather tote, almost 17,128L of water is used.
> The farming of cattle for beef and leather products is responsible for 80% of the Amazon’s deforestation.
it doesn’t biodegrade:
> Leather does not effectively biodegrade. Not even according to the tanning industry itself, not even vegetable tanned leather.
furthermore, it produces more CO2 than the polyurethane alternatives:
> Even polyurethane synthetic leather boots and the impact of their supposed incineration at their ‘end of life’ (if they aren’t able to be recycled) emit almost seven times less emissions [than the cow leather alternative].
all this is not to say that plastic is a solution. it’s not. but i see a lot of greenwashing around animal products, especially as a way to invalidate vegan alternatives that aim to reduce harm. i’m sure that wasn’t your intention :)