Thoughts towards vegan leather

Question

I am a university conducting a market research report on vegan leather with a focus upon vegan leather footwear and I wanted to ask your opinion. In the last few years there has been an increase in plant based leather being created but before the main vegan leather alternative before that was PVC. PVC has been deemed the most harmful plastic there is as from creating the plastic to its lifespan to the breaking down of the fabric it releases toxic fums that have a negative effect on the environment and those workers that produce the PVC product. So my question to you is if was the only vegan leather alternative you could select would you still purchase it?

Mountainmystic · Answer

Yes, I would still purchase PVC if it was the only vegan non-leather alternative. An animals life is more important to me. I honor the plastic and the earth's resource where it came from. The environment, break down of PVC, and health concerns surrounding PVC manufacturing and production can be engineered to be less of an impact. PVC can be recycled, reused, and made into other products. We should be recycling ground plastic and incorporating into a base or subbase materials for roads. Instead of using so many petroleum products, stone, and gravel. And then same for concrete, using less lime, stone, gravel, and sand. The Earth's resources are being used up wastefully at an alarming rate. And we are all consumers and users. Being a vegan or vegetarian is more than just eating a plant based diet, and is for so many who are for many reasons. Read posts on this forum and you will see how passionate people are in their thoughts.

Benjamin84 · Answer

PVC isn't very nice for the environment. Leather however isn't nice either, it involves harmful chromium chemicals. Both are bad for the environment, but at least one does not involve killing animals, so I would still buy PVC over leather.

AneeshMalik · Answer

Hi all

I am loving to be a part of the Vegan community and its sentiment. Its truly great for your body and the planet.

However, I have noticed that global brands are taking advantage of the sentiment of our community and trying to insult the concept by generating their marketing words “VEGAN LEATHER”. How is this even possible? How can leather be Vegan. Its an oxy-moron.

This seems to be a blatant disregard of our sentiment and thought process for which we stand for.

Just because the brands wish to sell all their manufactured “petroleum coated junk” they wish to use the name “vegan + leather” on top of it.

How can this be stopped?

broluv · Answer

It could be offensive in some situations. If animal loving people don't know its not. Like someone showing up to a animal loving get together in them.

ProudVeganista · Answer

Hello 👋🏽 in regards to your question. Um I didn’t know pvc was harmful to the environment wow that’s too bad. 
Well I’m not aware of how long ago it was that you posted your question but things are rapidly changing; a lot of vegan leather is now made out of friendly earth materials stuff like mushroom, pineapple husk, and hemp. So now we have a choice BUT they are expensive and so though I am an environmentalist I am a vegan 1st and very poor so unfortunately if pvc is all that is available and or all I can afford I will have no choice but to buy that.

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