Leather: less than luxurious
There's a certain endearment that people (including some designers) have with leather. It's associated with being cool and somewhat rebellious, or alternatively it's toted as a luxurious material and a status symbol. It's a "classic" and "natural". One could argue that these are outdated tropes that, as a modern society with access to infinite information, we have the ability to question.
Leather IS the most obvious material on a vegan interior designers no-go list, and its why I waivered on writing this post. Everyone already knows that leather is the skin of an animal and cleary not vegan, so what else is there to say? Well, even if you are a carnivore with no intrest in animal welfare, there are atrocities and sweeping negative impacts within the leather industry that you may find less than appealing. There are some design downfalls as well.
What are the implications and realities behind this leather lovers den?
Let’s begin with the vegan leaning issues and we’ll work our way to design and functionality.
The sheer amount of animals that are killed in order to produce leather
Leather is not only a byproduct of the meat industry, it is it’s own profit seeking industry. This is a fallacy that has long been perpetuated to make leather more "palatable" for consumers. In fact, it would be better for the environment if hides were thrown away in lieu of processed as leather.
1.5 Billion animals a year are skinned for leather, that’s the total population of Europe and North America combined.
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Still from the documentary “Slay”.
Filmmaker Rebecca Cappelli stands by a pile of salted unprocessed skins in a tannery in Tuscany.
2. Environmental Impacts
80% of all deforestation of the Amazon is at the hands of cattle ranchers.
According to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, leather is one of the most environmentally damaging industries. In the list of commonly used materials, leather has worst impact on the planet, 4 times that of synthetic leather, and 8 times the amount of negative impact in comparison to polyester.
One cow hide has a water footprint of 26,000 gallons. To better illustrate how wild that is, a single leather throw pillow equates in an average person’s drinking water for 10 years.
In Kanpur, India (known as “Leather City) 1.3 Billion gallons of polluted waste water from tanneries is generated every day. That’s 20 Olympic swimming pools of highly contaminated water (that’s left untreated) going into the city’s water system and soil, daily. The communities surrounding in this city have extreme levels of cancer, leprosy, mental defects, asthma, and serious skin conditions as a result. 95% of the leather and leather goods produced in Kanpur are exported to Western markets such as the US and Germany.
Not calculated: the impact of Kelly’s full leather outfit.
3. Inhumane working conditions
Tanning is a necessary step to stop the skins from rotting. 90% of all leather produced uses Chromium Sulfate (a level 5 hazardous chemical) in the tanning process. As per Google AI , Chromium Sulfate has the following warnings within its description:
Toxicity: Chromium sulfate is toxic to terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals.
If exposed to chromium sulfate, you should: Get medical attention immediately.
Contact with chromium can cause dryness, cracking, and sores on the skin, known as “chrome holes”
Not unlike most factories where industry is unregulated and the work is dangerous, immigrants make up a good portion of employees. As an example, tanneries in Italy hire Senegalese immigrants who get paid $2/hour and work 6-7 days a week. These are the conditions in which “ fine Italian leather” is made, and sold at a premium. It is to be noted that the untreated leather is imported from India, Brazil, or China and is more commonly than not, not Italian at all.
Much like factory farms, injuries are prevalent and underreported. The machinery is dangerous, and demand for quantity and quotas equates in human error. It is not uncommon for tannery workers to be missing fingers.
A tannery worker from Kanpur with extreme skin discoloration and “chrome holes”
4. You cannot be sure where your leather is from, geographically, or from what animal.
As mentioned previously, leathers marked as “ Italian Leathers” or “French Leathers” are commonly thought of as a higher end product, and assumed that the labor that went into its production to be more humane and “hand crafted” than other leathers. This is not the case. The regulations are loose and there is no sure way to know where your leather is coming from and the journey it may have taken to get on your club chair. Tanneries in the US are no execption, and it should not be assumed that it is locally sourced leather or that the production was any more sustainable or humane than hides from the East.
Even more jarring is that there is no way to ensure the leather on your barstools is indeed cow hide. Leather could pass through multiple facilities by the time it makes it onto a piece of furniture. China now produces 80% of the world’s leather. This is a country that is known to slaughter cats and dogs for meat and leather. It is nearly indescernable to tell a hides orgin by the time its upholstered onto a piece of furniture.
In an undercover investigation by Peta in 2014, it was found that a Chinese tannery was killing 100-200 dogs a day and confirmed that the resulting leather was intended for export to and sale in the US market.
Dogs in transport for Yulin Dog Meat festival in China.
5. Performance and Maintenance
As leather is chemically treated, it continues to off gas once and release VOCs once it’s in your home. The "new furniture smell" that some people experience is actually the result of off-gassing.
Leather is skin, and although it is tanned and treated, it will still sag and crack over time. Much like our own skin, there is only so much all the oils, lotions, and potions can do to maintain the once supple appearance. All upholstered furniture has a life expectancy, but considering the inflated cost of leather, it may be just as cost effective to get a new sofa (or, even better, reupholster) every 5-10 years? Yes, a leather sofa is marketed as lasting longer, but with time, it may begin to look like an old baseball mitt.
It stains easily. I know this from experience. When I was in 5th grade I got a much coveted suede bomber jacket from Wilson’s Leather (the most posh store in our local mall) I was, at the time, also convinced by spry marketing that leather WAS the coolest, and I in turn, was cool in this jacket. Alas, my future rise to popularity was foiled as soon as i stepped outside of the mall (already in the coat, against my dad’s warning), into the rain. Jacket ruined. Water shouldn’t ruin your potential for popularity.
Most importantly, have you ever sat on a leather couch mid summer? No thanks.
The classic midwestern “big loaf of bread” leather couch. Can you feel your bare legs sticking to it in mid August?
In closing, with so many well designed, affordable, durable, and sustainable alternatives to leather, opting for a more compassionate textile seems like a no brainer.
Take it from me, you can be cool without leather (whether a suede jacket or a sofa).
xoxo,
No Leather Heather
