@teaboot I totally get the sentiment of inheriting or earning a beloved item such as a jacket. I inherited a beautiful brown leather jacket and a blue denim jacket from my dad. The leather one I don’t wear for personal reason. As I will explain below.
This is by no means an attempt at shaming you, @drtanner or @800-dick-pics. Nor can I from across the world change your opinion. If you do so however, it’s been up to you. Many years ago I argued the exact same way as you. So I get it. This is aiming towards being conversational.
Does your leather jacket come free of harm?
Is harming animals relevant when producing items for us?
Is the fact that we used to need animal products in our lives still a necessity today?
Is it moral to use use animal products when there are more eco-friendly and kinder alternatives today?
Is fashion leather only a biproduct of the meat and dairy industry?
Are chemicals used in leather production facilities harmless to the people employed there? Are they even treated like we should treat humans? Do they even have basic health care?
Is plastic (poly-urethane) the only other viable option to substitute leather? (especially in modern times 2019)
You don’t have to answer the above, they’re more in terms of food for thought. And don’t feel pressed or provoked here, just hear me out.
I’m not suggesting that plastic isn’t bad at all. It’s superbad. We all know it is and of its catastrophic impact on the environment. The microplatics that end up inside the fish you still eat, clogging beaches, choking birds, turtles, dolphins and more. I remember ok twitter someone said “You’ll stop using straws to save fish? But won’t stop eating fish to save fish? Lol” Anyway, it’s pretty indiscriminatory in the way that it ruins all of us.
Here comes the big but; BUT, suggesting plastic is bad (rightfully so) does not mean that leather is a better or even a good source for us to clothe ourselves in. Currently 290 million cows are killed globally just for the sake of handbags, belts, jacket, hats and shoes. The same industry predicts a 40% increase of this global herd in order to support the demands of the growing market. It’s honestly surprising @drtanner @800-dick-pics that you didn’t even mention the possibility of an ecological impact from this industry. And that’s just cows. Then you have sheep, dogs, minks, cats, sharks, lambs and many more industries with millions suffering the same fate. Ever stop to think about the mental health of slaughter house emplyees for another example?
Again, not a biproduct, it’s an industry of it’s own.
@800-dick-pics don’t come here with void arguments regarding indiginous tradition or their lack of access to alternatives. They are never the leading consumer base (or even close) for these products and are in many cases self sustaining. Don’t ever use the indiginous as a shield to deflect your own responsibility. I can’t speak for (I’m guessing american white vegans?) But here in Sweden the vegan movement is pretty big and I have not once ever seen or heard anyone target, slander or accuse the Saami population and their keeping of reindeer. This is targeting us with access to alternatives, which are available in all first world countries.
So what are the alternatives to leather? If I ask you @drtanner, it seems that plastic is the only one… But I know you know there is more. Even if you don’t subscribe to the idea of kinder alternatives to leather. There is constant innovation in this field. Remember, it’s currently 2019 and progress is faster than ever.
I might just add, we know there is no such thing as truly crueltyfree, we do. It’s the conscious thought of buying something that is 100% certain of suffering and death versus something that could be produced with minimal ecological impact in mind, such as Fair Trade. Some can’t afford to buy new. Many reading this however will at some point be able to afford a Fair Trade or similar item. For the rest of us we have second hand thrift stores like I always opt for.
@teaboot why not second hand leather then? It’s not contributed to another dead animal. It’s still just that one that had to die. Inheriting and the subsequent fact that it is second hand IS an understandable sentiment! And frankly, if this was the common praxis, to only inherit and maintain: We wouldn’t have the 290 million animal deaths a year due to new production. It is your choice, I can’t tell you how to choose, but I can tell you why I don’t choose second hand leather.
Leather is an animal product. By definition, vegans do not use any animal products – wearing leather, second hand or not, is not technically vegan. Wearing leather perpetuates the idea that it’s desirable or acceptable to use animals for clothing, no matter where or how you got it.
But let’s get back to leather as it’s the topic. Leather isn’t cheap at all and it comes with a greater price still.
Eco friendly, durable, long lasting and comfortable quality non-leather non-plastic are readily available from:
Mushroom leather (MyCoworks)
Cork oak bark (when carefully harvested the tree’s life expectancy is upped by some 300 extra years. It’s also water resistant)
Grape / Wine (using the left overs from the wine industry to make quality leather-like fabrics that hold quality standards equal to leather)
Kombucha leather (crazy right? The coolest part about it is that it’s a similar recipe to produce the leather-like fabric)
PVC is right out the door. I think we can all agree that PU/PVC is an embarrasing competitor in this game. And here’s another big plus (for me anyway), they don’t have the smell of dead animal skin.
I will help anyone reading this to find their Go-To non-leather non-plastic Dream jacket.
Lest we forget, animal aggriculture is the #1 leading cause of climate change. This is a verifiable fact by the United Nations own studies. Veganism is is still the better option if you want to align your heart with to action.
If anyone want to keep arguing the point here. Can we try and keep it civil..? Or just PM me and I can clarify anything I might have made you misinterpret or if I just missed somethintg.
@acti-veg care to weigh in on this?