Leather is not animal-friendly: It is made of dead animal skin. However, most of the hides used to make leather come from animals raised for their meat. In that sense, it is a by-product from another industry. If those hides are not used to produce leather, they would have to be thrown away, thus accumulating more waste.
It could be said that ideally, no animals should be killed by humans, but until that happens, it is probably preferable to use the by-products of the industry.
Leather is also a material with unique properties, and it is durable and hard-wearing.
That said, conventional leather is heavily criticized for the environmental impact of the tanning process, as described in the leather section.
But leather can also be environmentally friendly. Some tanneries recycle and purify their wastewater and have excluded harmful chemicals from their processes.Â
Responsible leather belongs to SANE Approved Material List. SANE recognizes the following certifications for leather production: LWG Gold-approved traders, IVN Naturleder and Blue Angel Leather. For other responsible leather, the material production will need to be certified SANE by a SANE-accredited certifier.
A product made of at least 90% approved leather (or blended with other SANE Approved Material) and produced in a facility holding a SANE Scope Certificate is eligible to be certified SANE.
Copy partner: Sustain Your Style; Picture: Chen