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Dear EarthTalk: What are the environmental consequences
of leather? Are there any good alternatives? -- Brianna Jacobs, Somerville, MA
 Leather
is everywhere—from shoes and belts, to purses, wallets,
jackets, furniture and car seats. Most probably assume that
the leather that finds its way into our wardrobes and living
spaces is a byproduct of the meat industry. But while cows
are certainly the most popular animals to use for leather
goods, in truth most of our leather is sourced from overseas,
from countries like China and India, where a host of animals
may be raw material for our bags and belts, including horses,
deer, sheep and, in more exotic cases, alligators or snakes.
All of which may make an animal-lover or vegetarian queasy.
But environmentalists have reason to forgo leather, too.
Processing leather requires copious amounts of energy and
a toxic stew of chemicals including formaldehyde, coal tar
and some cyanide-containing finishes. The tanning process
is just as pollutant-laced, and can leave chemicals in the
water supply (as described in the best-selling book and popular
movie, A Civil Action) and on the hands (and in the lungs)
of developing world workers.
Tanneries are top polluters on the Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA) “Superfund” list, which identifies
the most critical industrial sites in need of environmental
cleanup. Due to their toxicity, reports organicleather.com,
“many old tannery sites can’t be used for agriculture,
or built on, or even sold.” That website is the home
of Mill Valley, California, retailer Organic Leather, which
offers a return to the tanning practices of old-using animals
that are organically fed and humanely raised and a tanning
process that uses plant tannins, vegetable tannins or smoke
to cure the leather with zero toxicity in the process.
But with the wealth of fashionable faux-leather alternatives,
there’s no need to ever wear animal skins. So-called
“cruelty-free” fashions have advanced in leaps and
bounds, with variations on every style of handbag, wallet,
belt and boot. Online “vegan boutique” Alternative
Outfitters even has a version of the ubiquitous Ugg boot
made with microsuede “shearling” on the outside
and synthetic wool inside, while Iowa-based Heartland
Products sells western-style non-leather boots and non-leather
Birkenstock sandals. Science has come up with plenty of comfortable,
durable alternatives to materials made with animal products.
These include vegan microfiber, which claims to match leather
in strength and durability, and Pleather, Durabuck and NuSuede.
Products made with these synthetic materials tend to be less
expensive than their leather counterparts and are being produced
by major manufacturers like Nike, whose Durabuck athletic
and hiking shoes “will stretch around the foot with the
same ‘give’ as leather... and are machine washable,”
according to company sources. And you won’t need to adjust
your style, either. Vegetarianshoesandbags.com
offers everything from purple faux snakeskin peep-toe pumps
for hitting the clubs to hemp sneakers with recycled outsoles
that look skate park-ready, to distinctive Pleather bags and
versatile woven belts.
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