The exterior is no longer the only point of interest when it comes to new cars – vehicle manufacturers are eager to transform and increasingly focus on marketing the interior of the car. We have seen a fashion for replacing leather, an organic material, with oil-based plastics and synthetics, somehow conflating ‘vegan’ with ‘sustainable’, which when the stated objective is sustainability, is a misrepresentation of science.
Man-made materials in vehicles aren’t necessarily a new phenomenon. They have been around for a long time – and can make sense for certain parts of the car where leather might not be the first choice. Most leather alternatives though, are made of plastic-based polyurethane chloride (PVC) and polyurethane, both
pose serious environmental threats given that they are usually
manufactured from fossil fuels and are not biodegradable.
Modern Leather Production supports a Circular Economy
Hides and skins are a by-product of the meat industry. It would be an ecological disaster to send them all to landfill instead of taking responsibility and making use of them and thus enable a circular economy. Properly made and sourced leather ticks all the boxes of a truly sustainable material.
Modern leather manufacturing is highly regulated and a clean, non-polluting industry and responsible car manufacturer brands use leather from reputable, audited sources. Leather is also easy to care for and ages well and is very durable, it will most likely survive much longer as the alternative materials.
Demanding transparency from car manufacturers
Labelling of synthetic alternative material for the interior of cars often incorporates the term ‘leather’ in an attempt to associate with the positive benefits of leather but without being transparent about the true origin of the synthetic material used.
However, the term leather is strictly defined by British, European and International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standards and refers to only material originating from the skins or hides of animals. As Dr Kerry Senior, director at the UK’s leather trade federation, Leather UK pointed out in an article published in the The Independent (15.08.19), “There is no such thing as vegan leather.”
Leather Naturally promotes the use of globally-manufactured sustainable leather. Its website www.leathernaturally.org is a key resource for information about modern leather manufacturing and the part it plays in a more sustainable society.
