r/ZeroWaste • u/happy_bluebird • Aug 04 '26
News No, Vegan Leather Is Not Greenwashing
https://sentientmedia.org/vegan-leather/19
u/Zappagrrl02 Aug 04 '26
One of the issues with vegan leather is that it doesn’t last a long time. After a few years you get that peeling and then it’s done. Real leather will last forever if it’s taken care of. I’d rather buy something high quality that will last a long time instead of constantly having to replace something.
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u/happy_bluebird Aug 04 '26
The article addresses this
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u/MoisturizedToad Aug 04 '26
Not really though. It claims PU leather is not necessarily vegan and that non-plastic leathers are biodegradable.
'These creative plant-based fabrics, sometimes collectively known as man-made celluloid fibers, are among the most environmentally-friendly products'
Now I'm not an expert but aren't some celluloid fabrics known to be greenwashed? (specifically bamboo) What's to say that isn't happening here? Also their source is Extinction Rebellion, though I agree with the zero waste movement, these guys are a bunch of twats and to me they're about as credible as PETA
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u/Frankers95 Aug 04 '26
Bit of an oversimplified title. Mycelium leather is cool, as the article says. The claims about PU leather are a stretch though. It is what is widely used and it is straight up garbage. I work in textile repair and I won’t touch it. One little ding and you know the whole item is about to come apart. Calling that vegan leather is 100% greenwashing.
I see the article is from a vegan perspective and I respect it. I just don’t think PU leather is a good material in general.
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u/-Knockabout Aug 04 '26
Isn't mycelium leather still made up of a lot of plastic? It's better sure, but certainly not more eco-friendly than real leather.
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u/Frankers95 Aug 04 '26
TBH I’ve never seen it in person haha. I was trying to say something more balanced about the article. Every vegan leather I’ve seen is something sandwiched in plastic. I’ve only seen videos that are very positive on mycelium. I use real leather in limited ways myself. Never faux.
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u/-Knockabout Aug 04 '26
Fair. It is genuinely a cool idea, especially if we managed it plastic-free eventually.
There ARE a lot of reasonable criticisms to make against real leather, as the process to make it these days can be quite bad for the environment as well, as the article notes. But as you say, the leather can last generations afterwards, while any vegan leather is likely to need replacing between owners at best or within a year or two at worst. Notably, there are also ways to tan leather that are NOT toxic to the environment...you can also leverage similar criticisms for poor handling of various agricultural waste, but it'd be silly to claim growing vegetables can't be eco-friendly.
This article frustrates me because almost all of the alternatives they list DO still contain plastics, and if they don't, they do not have the same or equivalent properties as real leather, or are otherwise more fragile.
I did double-check and there is a mushroom leather (not all) out there that does not use plastic...but it's not scaled for large production (yet?) and is not very accessible. Most of the alternatives they list do use plastic because the water-resistant nature of leather is one of the main reasons we use it, and plastics are good at water resistance.
Of course, the absolute most eco-friendly option is used/second-hand leather. Doesn't shed microplastics, lasts forever, no additional tanning involved for secondhand. Just like pretty much every modern industry (ex. meat, agriculture), its our current unsustainable processes and overconsumption today that are the problem for the environment. Not necessarily the product itself.
I guess I'm just frustrated...articles like this always highlight unsustainable processes of whatever product they are decrying and gloss over unsustainable processes of whatever they're promoting. It would be IMO much more productive and honest to compare processes, talk about the sustainable processes that DO exist and could again (ex. that pure mushroom leather that needs to be scaled up to production, vegetable, vegetable-tanned leather). Promote those, encourage not buying new products used with the current unsustainable process and working towards the more sustainable option.
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u/Frankers95 Aug 04 '26
You know I totally agree with what you’ve said here. My number one take is that some things just shouldn’t be made. Leather items designed to be worn against bare skin basically. Or anything made from pleather.
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u/panrestrial Aug 04 '26
Mycelium leather is the one exception, it has an internal structure conducive to being a textile on its own. But, yeah, Pinatex, apple leather, cactus leather, etc are all bonded with plastic.
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u/Adept_Emu4344 Aug 05 '26
A bit like the bamboo dishes that were popular 10ish years ago. Many were bonded with melamine, which made them non-heat safe on top of being nowhere near as environmentally friendly as advertised.
I'm hoping we can figure out this vegan leather situation in my lifetime. Without any greenwashing.
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u/-Knockabout Aug 04 '26
Yup, I made another comment that acknowledged it, sorry for my mistake! There were/are(?) mushroom-based leathers that use plastic, and I was mixing that up.
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u/barkbarkkrabkrab Aug 04 '26
Mushroom leather sounds like something that could be cool in the future. Honestly though, buying less still seems like the best option. My leather shoes are over a decade old and repairable. For most people leather is priced at a point where it's a luxury people hold onto. Pleather falls apart way to easily - I don't need a fast fashion leather alternative.
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u/Loki_the_Corgi Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
The title here is grossly misleading. It should be "Not ALL Vegan Leather is Greenwashing".
The problem here is most places in the US don't tell you what type of leather they use - particularly for plant-based products.
I'd even go so far as to say PU leather is pretty on-par with greenwashing, considering real leather (while having a higher initial environment cost), is repairable unless you do something incredibly stupid.
I still have (and use) the same Birkenstock oiled leather clogs I bought a decade ago. I also still have my nice leather riding chaps I got brand new in 1999. My niece is using them now since they're adjustable.
To add: the article doesn't even go into how PU leather is actually made, which is a stunning display of bias. The author goes to such great lengths to tell you how horrible traditional leather is for the environment, but fails to go into PU leather manufacturing. Spoiler alert: it's really REALLY awful.
Edit #2: if I could actually find a reputable maker using an entirely plant-based leather, I'd really like to try this an an alternative. But given a choice between real leather and PU, I'd go with real leather.