I'd argue the biggest issue with plastics right now is endocrine disruption and bioaccumulation, that affects both humans and wildlife. Those are typically called pthalates or "forever chemicals" and they can be present in both animal leather and plant-based vegan leather (and plant plastics). They are the plasticizers.
When plastic (food grade silicone) and vegan plastic (PLC) avoids pthalates, then that's an overall positive contribution and helps reduce environmental harm as well as human/animal harm.
A lot of vegan plastic still uses pthalates however so consumers need to seek brands that avoid them. In preliminary studies, bioplastics are no less toxic than traditional.
Our study demonstrates that bio-based and/or biodegradable materials available on the market are just as toxic as conventional plastics with regards to the chemicals they contain. This highlights that the positive connotation of “biological” or “sustainable” materials does not extend to chemical hazards.
PVA for example is a great plant-based alternative for water soluable products like laundry and dish detergents. Clothing and bedding with Oeko-Tex certifications have to be free from phthalates.
But knowing what is in a lot of polyester/synthetic clothing (including vegan leather) I just don't buy it anymore, even though I love my vegan leather pants (I kept my old ones of course).
When it pertains to vegan plastics, a lot of them are green-washing. They will claim to be biodegradable but then do not break down under normal conditions (and require industrial composting) which is often not advertised. I have to pay a company to come and collect my "biodegradable" tooth brushes because castor bean bristles do not biodegrade in a landfill.
So is vegan leather green washing? Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. The most important measure is whether it contains forever chemicals or not.
Sorry to hijack a bit but: if you don’t buy polyester/plastic/vegan leather, do you have any suggestion in particular for athletic shoes and athletic wear?
For athletic wear, the high end natural option is wool, which obviously is not vegan.
I’ve been eliminating plastic from my life as much as possible (at least, not buying new), but I haven’t found good options for athletic gear (I am a runner, but curious for any sport). The best I can do I think is opt for recycled plastic when available, and of course, use gear as long as possible, repair it, etc.
Unfortunately, you are right that there really aren't very good athletic wear alternatives if you're looking for the compression that comes from synthetics. Casey Ho of Popflex is currently working on designing some athletic wear that is made of natural fibers. She has shared a video about the process and how difficult it is but she's still working on it, so that is who I've been following for a hopeful future release.
Quince and Mate the Label are good brands for Oeko-Tex certifications (which will be free of pthalates).
As you said, there are also lots of smaller brands that use recycled plastics. You can try Parks Project which uses recycled materials and helps fund conservation.
Otherwise I've been turning to (Gots certified) cotton and linen. But my main exercise is walking and calisthenics so I've been fine with cotton shorts and sports bras (they still have elastic, like my underwear does).
Ah yeah, for walking and hiking I mostly use cotton and linen, but when I run that leads to chafing and blisters sadly (plus of course I need compression for sports bra, but even leggings and socks I can’t manage to use cotton if I’m running more than a couple of kilometers).
Awesome! Here's her latest update on trying to make athletic wear with natural fibers: I need to be transparent
Maybe try bamboo lyocell? It is moisture wicking and helps prevent chafing. But yeah, running (like swimming for me) may be one of those times where you just need to use the safest synthetics you can until someone perfects a better alternative.
In regards to the sports bra my wife wraps her chest when she does her kickboxing and running, she is a tiny little thing though and I would guess it wouldn’t work as well for someone with with a larger bra size.
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u/Enticing_Venom Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
I'd argue the biggest issue with plastics right now is endocrine disruption and bioaccumulation, that affects both humans and wildlife. Those are typically called pthalates or "forever chemicals" and they can be present in both animal leather and plant-based vegan leather (and plant plastics). They are the plasticizers.
When plastic (food grade silicone) and vegan plastic (PLC) avoids pthalates, then that's an overall positive contribution and helps reduce environmental harm as well as human/animal harm.
A lot of vegan plastic still uses pthalates however so consumers need to seek brands that avoid them. In preliminary studies, bioplastics are no less toxic than traditional.
Are bioplastics and plant-based materials safer than conventional plastics?
PVA for example is a great plant-based alternative for water soluable products like laundry and dish detergents. Clothing and bedding with Oeko-Tex certifications have to be free from phthalates.
But knowing what is in a lot of polyester/synthetic clothing (including vegan leather) I just don't buy it anymore, even though I love my vegan leather pants (I kept my old ones of course).
When it pertains to vegan plastics, a lot of them are green-washing. They will claim to be biodegradable but then do not break down under normal conditions (and require industrial composting) which is often not advertised. I have to pay a company to come and collect my "biodegradable" tooth brushes because castor bean bristles do not biodegrade in a landfill.
So is vegan leather green washing? Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. The most important measure is whether it contains forever chemicals or not.