I may talk like I'm a few flax seeds away from being a granola cruncher, but I’m not vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or anti the next big thing to be anti, nor do I ever plan to be. Unless the day comes where it’s possible to be against fruits/veggies, live off of potato chips & chocolate sprinkle donuts + not die of diabetes or heart disease. In which case I’ll be here thriving off of potato chips & chocolate sprinkle donuts.
I digress.
At this point I’ve basically done everything but scream from the mountain tops my appreciation for re-purposing & making #SMALLCHANGES towards saving the world. But there’s one issue that I haven’t touched upon yet. So I'm conducting research + solidifying my standpoint when it comes to leather {of the genuine & faux variety}. The point of this post is to set the record straight that faux leather isn’t as eco-friendly as you may think & in my humble opinion up-cycling the genuine stuff is as good as you can get.
I may be biased, but hear me out.
Polyurethane = Plastic
Check the label on a pleather garment and it will typically read, “100% Polyurethane”
AKA 100% plastic.
You want to talk about "going green"? That conversation usually starts and ends with bashing all things containing phthalates or petroleum based. So why is faux leather considered the "eco-friendly" choice?
I'm not that dense- I realize there are animals involved {or not involved for that matter}, but the real deal also just plain performs better & lasts longer which means less waste {or in my case, stands the chance at being made into something new}.
Your Dollars = Your Vote
The process of treating & tanning leather has its downsides. Lots of them. I’m not trying to cover that up. Here’s a sciencey article that explains more. And here's a nice less-sciencey piece.
Purchasing an item {leather or not} fresh from the new arrivals rack is casting a vote with your wallet that you want to see more of these products- so companies keep producing them.
Re-purposing = Queen
Until Marty McFly visits me IRL there is nothing I can do about the leather that was manufactured {responsibly or not} in the early 80s. Literally nothing. I wasn’t even born yet.
Whether you're anti-leather or not- there is nothing that can be done to prevent the products that were produced in the past, but there's a heck of a lot I can do to give it new life.
This. Is. The. Whole. Point.
We can’t prevent the past, but we can give it new purpose.
This, in essence, is why I love what I do. And though I may not be against responsibly purchasing leather per se, producing more junk in general is something I can't be gung ho about.
Side note: we can prevent it from being produced NOW {if you feel so inclined} by not voting for more with your dollars.
Education = King
Not ALL faux leather is polyurethane, and not ALL leather is a by-product of meat producers or treated with ultra-terrible chemicals. There's another side to every story & sometimes it's hard to know what's what. New alternatives are being created & less harmful treatments are gaining popularity.
However, when forced to make the choice between a faux chocolate sprinkle donut, or a genuine chocolate sprinkle donut... it's still a donut. There's no one right way to go about it.
Maybe that's a terrible analogy... because who wouldn't take the REAL donut? ...unless you're gluten-free {insert smirking emoji}
In the end, it’s all about making an informed choice, deciding what you believe in & moving forward with your standards at your side.
Care to hear a similar argument for fur? Check this out.
P.S. have something mean or snarky to say? Please think twice. I'm all for discussion & would love to hear your thoughts & point of view. But please hear my side of the story, too, & just play nice.