As inhabitants of a planet crumbling under the pressures of global heating, it's crucial for us to cull the frivolous corners of our culture. Instead of perpetuating plastic pollution and extraction of fossil fuels by supporting fashions made from synthetic materials and vegan leathers, our energy ought to be concentrated on making use of by-products from the plant and animal agriculture which feeds us. As well as upcycling natural materials which would otherwise make their way to the already overflowing landfills.
THE POSSIBILITY FOR CLIMATE BENEFICIAL™
LEATHER
Though the issues of
conventional animal agriculture have been well documented and agreed upon, when it comes to fashion,
it assumes that if people stopped buying leather, farmers would stop raising cattle. Instead,
U.S. consumers are eating more beef than they have in a decade, but due to misinformation on the 'sustainability' of 'vegan leather',
animal hides are piling up, sending the durable material to the landfill or incinerator unused.
Fortunately, the rise in awareness of
regenerative agricultural practices offers a solution to both the dastardly deeds sustained by
conventional agriculture and the unnecessary waste from food production and consumption.
In
a recent carbon footprint evaluation of the beef produced through regenerative grazing at White Oak Pastures'
zero waste farm, it was revealed that
White Oak Pastures' beef stores more carbon in the soil than the cows emit during their lives, with the carbon footprint of their meat coming in 111% lower than conventional agriculture. In addition,
White Oak Pastures' beef has
a smaller carbon footprint than other non-beef protein sources, including Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger (based on their own LCA). Indicating the 'sustainability' of beef, and by proxy leather, is a result of
how an animal is raised, not
if the animal is raised.
WHY VEGAN LEATHER ISN'T A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE
Unfortunately, instead of investing in
regenerative fashion systems built from regenerative food systems, or even in
circular fashion, shoppers who once chose to purchase durable products built from 'waste', are
choosing synthetic alternatives instead.
What these consumers don't realize is that
for every kilogram of plastic-based synthetic material produced, 1.1kg of oil is extracted and used. In vegan leather, the most common types of plastics used are dangerous and pollutive. To create PU for example, a highly toxic chemical solvent is used to create a liquid which can be painted onto the base material. Similarly, PVC, which vegan brand
Matt & Nat use in their products, is considered by Greenpeace to be the
"single most environmentally damaging type of plastic" ever created, and is a known carcinogen.
In addition, the dying process for vegan leather is also extremely pollutive, as plastic materials cannot be dyed with plant matter (
only natural materials will take plant dye), so chemicals and toxins are applied in the form of toxic dyes and chemical fabric paints.
Like all plastics, synthetic fabrics and 'vegan leather' (
even Piñatex and Apple Leather are primarily plastic)
take upwards of 1,000 years to biodegrade. When they breakdown they release phthalates, which can enter the food chain and the atmosphere causing respiratory problems, breast cancer, hormonal disruptions and birth defects.
Synthetic leathers also produce further pollutants in the process of being
downcycled (
vegan leathers cannot be recycled because plastic breaks down to a lesser material each time it is processed), and cannot be recycled indefinitely - meaning every plastic item produced will end up in the landfill eventually.
Conversely, wool and leather (
and any other natural material) can be recycled without further harm as a part of the closed-loop system created by mama nature. In addition, programs like
RecycLeather™ add nearly infinite regenerative loops to already (
potentially)
Climate Beneficial™ materials. Because leather is a natural material, it can be tanned chemical-free using traditional hide tanning practices like '
brain tanning' combined with being soaked in tannins from plants, oak, willow and chestnut.
We've seen this sort of soil saving circular story emerge from
Fibershed's
Climate Beneficial™wool, and
Pela Case's upcycled agricultural waste to make phone cases and sunglasses which biodegrade. Leading the way for a future for fashion which is truly conscious and spectacularly sustainable
because it is regenerative at its base.
NOT ALL LEATHER IS CREATED EQUAL
It is important to understand; however, that not all meat, nor leather goods are not created equal, and currently there are very few potentially
Climate Beneficial™ products on the market. Most of the meat making its way to consumers plates is created in horrific scenarios for both the animal and the planet in mafia-style production which needs to be eradicated as soon as possible (
read this article here to learn more).
Therefore, conventional leather is a byproduct of this harmful industry and is more than often processed using
harmful chemicals. That said, we should not be wasting animal hides no matter how the animal is raised; so, if the option is available to you financially, you should be more concentrated about where the food you are eating is produced and how it is farmed (
whether you are vegan or not). Cow skins
represented 6% to 8% of a cow’s total value than your vegetable tanned leather consumption.
We have to learn to make use of resources in line with what the natural world yields when it is healthy and functioning, giving back more than we take rather than extracting every ounce offered. That means consuming significantly less (
regardless of diet). Consumption itself is our worst enemy no matter how we eat, and our food has
been dropping in nutrient density due to our ignorant farming practices which produce neither healthy food nor healthy soil,
causing us to eat more and use significantly more resources.
This means that if you're going to eat meat, or buy leather, and you have the privilege of choice (
which many people don't) the best way to do this responsibly is to purchase locally from farmers
practising as many regenerative agriculture principals as possible, by
looking for artisans processing leather and other byproducts traditionally, or brands recycling natural material waste responsibly.
RECYCLED LEATHER INTEGRATES INTO REGENERATIVE FASHION
Despite leather's bad rep, some brave brands, like
Opus Mind, are creating luxury recycled leather bags and accessories with waste reduction and circularity in mind. Upcycling industrial off-cuts that would otherwise end up in the landfill and extending the life and appreciation of durable materials.
Opus Mind helps close the loop with current leather wastage with the help of
RecycLeather™, minimizing the production's carbon footprint and waste. Reclaiming and
recycling, redirects some of the 23.22 million tons of leather yearly which would otherwise end up in the landfill, buried, or burnt.
The future of 'fashion', in my opinion, is a series of systems which leave the planet better off for the fact that they've occurred, rather than worse. Circular design, paired with natural materials, which integrate easily into potentially regenerative fashion systems, creating designs like
Opus Mind, which will last a lifetime or two. Putting plastic into the past and building soil for the future.
PHOTOS: SHANE WOODWARD
SPONSORED POST: This post was sponsored by OPUS MIND. The story, including all content, experiences, suggestions and opinions, are my own research and opinion. It is with the support from companies like this that I am able to continue researching, writing and sharing these sustainable stories. I'm most grateful for both their support as a brand and yours as a reader.
