Understanding Leather Types: The Pros and Cons

Key Takeaways

  • 1. Animal leather remains valued for its quality and durability, but its production often comes with significant environmental and ethical concerns.
  • 2. Petroleum-derived synthetic leathers are affordable, customisable and animal-free, but they depend on fossil fuels and create plastic pollution.
  • 3. Bio-based leathers are made mostly or entirely from bio-based and plant-based inputs, presenting an animal-free, low-impact, high-quality option. 100% bio-based leather is ideal.
As the demand for sustainable and ethical materials continues to rise, the leather industry is undergoing significant transformation. From traditional bovine leather to synthetic and bio-based alternatives, each type has unique advantages and drawbacks. In this article, we break down the three major categories of leather to help consumers and businesses make informed choices.

Animal Leather (Bovine)

While most leather comes from cows and calves (bovine leather), it is also made from the skin of pigs, goats and sheep (including lambs). More unusual and so-called exotic sources include alligators, ostriches, snakes and kangaroos. Animal-derived leather is a favourite for a reason—it’s durable, beautiful and is a mainstay of many everyday products, from shoes to wallets to cars.

 

Animal Leather Pros:

 

  • Durability: Traditional leather is renowned for its longevity, often lasting decades with proper care.
  • Aesthetic Appeal: It offers a classic, high-quality look and feel that many consumers value.
  • Biodegradability: Untreated leather can eventually break down in natural environments.

 

Animal Leather Cons:

 

  • Environmental Impact: Bovine leather production is resource-intensive, contributing in part to 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions through livestock farming. Deforestation and water pollution are also significant concerns.
  • Ethical Issues: The leather industry raises animal welfare concerns and is closely tied to the meat industry.
  • Chemical Usage: Tanning processes often involve hazardous chemicals, posing risks to workers and ecosystems. Finishing leather often involves plastic coatings.
  • Toxic Water Waste: Leather tanneries are notoriously polluting of water. A study published in the Water Quality Research Journal highlights that tannery wastewater has become one of the dominant sources of industrial pollution, with the global leather industry producing approximately 600 million cubic meters of effluent annually.

Petroleum-Derived Synthetic Leathers (PU/PVC)

Pleather, leatherette, current-gen leather, artificial/synthetic/faux/imitation leather—whatever you want to call it, it’s made from fossil fuels. Synthetic leather today is synonymous with polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which are primarily derived from petroleum-based fossil fuels. PU can also come in recycled form or solvent-reduced waterborne PU.

 

These types of leather are often dubbed “vegan leather” since they contain no animal products. But that doesn’t mean they’re wholly environmentally friendly, just that they’re free from animal products (though from an emissions point of view, they often rate better than animal counterparts).

 

Synthetic Leather Pros:

 

  • Cost-Effective: PU leather is more affordable than traditional leather, and PVC is typically the most affordable of all synthetics.
  • Customisable: Available in a range of textures, colours, and finishes.
  • Animal-Free: It’s a vegan alternative, appealing to consumers avoiding animal products.
  • Durability: PVC leather is more resistant to water and abrasion than PU leather.

 

Synthetic Leather Cons:

 

  • Non-Biodegradable: Made from petroleum-based materials, PU and PVC leather contribute to plastic waste and microplastic pollution.
  • Durability Issues: Less durable than traditional leather, PU tends to crack and peel over time.
  • Fossil Fuel Dependency: Production relies on non-renewable resources, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Toxicity: PVC production releases harmful chemicals like dioxins and phthalates, which can pose health risks. PVC is also a classified carcinogen in the US.

 

100% bio-based leather is free from animal and petroleum products, offering a sustainable alternative that balances performance, quality, and ethics.

Bio-Based Leather

This new group of materials goes by several names: they might be called “next-gen leather”, “bio-based leather” or “bioleather”. Material inputs for next-gen leathers can be, for example, plant-based, fungal (mycelium), or recycled (e.g. petroleum-plastic, other fibres). 

 

 

Partially Bio-Based Leather Alternatives

The important thing to note is that “bio-based” doesn’t mean the material is necessarily 100% plant or biologically derived. Many bio-based leathers contain some degree of petroleum due to its desirable properties.

 

Partially Bio-Based Leather Pros:

 

  • Reduced Plastic Content: These materials combine bio-based components (e.g. plant fibres) with synthetic polymers, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
  • Lower Environmental Impact: Partially bio-based leathers often have a smaller carbon footprint than PU or PVC leather.
  • Improved Customization: Offers similar versatility to synthetic leathers.

 

Partially Bio-Based Leather Cons:

 

  • Limited Bio Content: Many options still contain petroleum-based inputs, limiting their overall sustainability.
  • Durability Variance: Quality can vary widely, with some materials being less robust than traditional leather.
  • End-of-Life Issues: Like PU and PVC, these materials are often non-biodegradable.

 

100% Bio-Based Leather Alternatives

At Alt. Leather, we’re one of very few companies innovating the next generation of leather that doesn’t come from animals or petroleum-based plastics. We work to match the performance and quality of traditional options without the environmental cost.

 

100% Bio-Based Leather Pros:

 

  • Eco-Friendly: Fully bio-based leathers are made from renewable resources like mycelium (fungi) and other plant-based materials. They often have a significantly lower carbon footprint.
  • End-Of-Life Solutions: Many are designed to decompose naturally at the end of their lifecycle, or without affecting soil microbiome.
  • Innovative Appeal: Pioneering brands using these materials can stand out as sustainability leaders.
  • Customisable: Like synthetics, bio-based alternatives can be customised to include various textures and colours.
  • Waste Reduction: They can use of biomass as a feedstock, reduce emissions and water waste during production, and are often produced in lineal metres to reduce cutting floor waste. They are also designed with end-of-life solutions in mind.

 

100% Bio-Based Leather Cons:

 

  • Higher Cost: In this nascent industry 100% bio-based leathers are more expensive to produce than synthetic or traditional options.
  • Scalability: Production can be limited as companies build, making it initially challenging for large-scale applications.
  • Durability Concerns: While improving, some bio-based leathers may not yet match the longevity of traditional leather.

 

Traditional leather remains a benchmark for quality and durability but comes with drawbacks. Synthetic options like PU and PVC leather address animal welfare concerns but also pose challenges. Bio-based alternatives, particularly fully bio-based leathers, are a growing solution, combining sustainability with innovation. Ready to explore sustainable leather alternatives?

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