The impacts of leather on animals, humans, the environment
In the collective mind, leather is often seen as a noble, quality natural material. But what about the consequences of its production? When you are sensitive to animal, social and environmental causes, it is important to have as much information as possible on the subject in order to make an informed decision about what you want to consume. So why do vegans refuse to wear leather? For these harmful effects on several aspects:
Animals:
They are the first to be affected by the leather industry. Indeed, every year, a billion animals are killed for their skin . Buying leather directly contributes to intensive farming, slaughterhouses and all the cruelty that this generates.
The meat and leather industries work hand in hand and form a very powerful lobby. Leather represents on average 40% of the profits made from the animal and sometimes more.
Animals living in overcrowded factory farms sometimes never see the light of day . They are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them, such as finding food and raising their young. Females are artificially inseminated and their babies are taken away from them very soon after birth. Added to this are chronic infections and diseases caused by overcrowding and finally a terrifying journey to the slaughterhouse...
Most of the leather produced in the world comes from China, where there are still no sanctions against animal abuse in the leather industry, despite several awareness campaigns by animal protection associations. Even the “Made in Italy” label does not guarantee that the leather comes from Italy, but only that the final stages of assembly of the product have been carried out there.
The workers :
To prevent leather from decomposing over time, it must undergo a tanning process that involves soaking the skins in a bath of chemicals. Tanning is most often done in developing countries, often in Bangladesh. This step requires the use of chemicals that are toxic to the health of workers, including chromium, which is used in 80% of cases. It is a carcinogenic substance that can cause skin diseases and respiratory ailments. Workers are exposed to these dangers every day without any protection for an income that is sometimes less than one euro per day.The environment :
In addition to using a huge amount of water, the leather tanning process is extremely polluting : toxic waste from this treatment is dumped into rivers and pollutes groundwater. In 2016, the NGO Pure Earth reported that tanneries ranked fourth out of the ten most toxic industries in the world . In addition, intensive animal farming, both leather and meat, is also one of the most polluting industries in the world. It requires the consumption of a huge amount of water and leads to soil pollution , by releasing manure, antibiotics, chemicals, hormones and pesticides into the environment. It is estimated that livestock farming accounts for 14.5% of global emissions . greenhouse gases as much as the transport sector.
Fortunately, there are now many alternatives to animal leather , and everyone is free to choose the one that suits them best: cork, pinatex (pineapple leather), apple leather, grape leather, cactus leather, microfiber, recycled polyester, etc.
Sources :
- https://www.greenpeace.fr/elevage/
- https://one-voice.fr/fr/nos-combats/mode/cuir/exposition.html
- https://www.petafrance.com/nos-campagnes/clothing/lindustrie-du-cuir/
- https://mrmondialisation.org/reportage-photo-dans-lenfer-des-tanneries-bangladaises/
Documentaries to watch to go further: