Written by Tirsa Parrish

For those who love it, nothing has the look, feel, or smell of quality leather. It reminds me of my childhood  where using, wearing, and cleaning leather was a daily occurrence on our family horse farm. The saddles, bridles, and riding boots  crafted from leather needed to be maintained to extend their use. Leather can be a wonderful material to use in fashion as it is extremely durable, versatile, and comfortable. However, as it is an animal hide, many are looking for non-animal variants on their quest to be cruelty free. Leather may be imperfect, but it can be made and used responsibly. Additionally, traditional leather does not require petroleum-based coating or sealants that most non-animal leather use to increase their durability and life-time. Synthetic leathers are entirely petroleum-based and made from polyurethane. 

When someone outside of the fashion industry or outside of the leather market thinks of leather, cowhide generally comes to mind. It is a strong,  durable, and versatile product that stands up to decades of extended use. That is why it is a traditional choice for saddles, furniture coverings, and boots. However, the qualities of cowhide that make it so tough also make it less soft, so today it is rarely used for garment making. Lambskin leather is much softer yet still very durable and is the leather of choice in the garment industry. 

Animal hides have been used for thousands of years as protection from the elements, wrapped around the body as rudimentary garments, and as sturdy carrying vessels. It wasn’t until a process called tanning was invented that leather as we know it today was actually developed. This is an important advancement as untreated hide (rawhide) will rot and degrade. Tanning is a process that stabilizes the proteins in the hide and prepares it for a wide array of applications. 

 

There are many ways to tan hides, but the end result is that the hides will not rot and they are ready for dyeing and other uses such as manufacturing goods. 

• Chrome tanning: Dominant method that involves soaking the hides in baths containing acidic salts and chromium tanning agents. The acidity of the bath is decreased until the surface of the hides starts absorbing the chromium agents. This is a highly automated process and is faster than vegetable tanning.
• Vegetable tanning: Heritage method using the tannins from the bark and leaves of trees and plants. Hides are placed in the tanning pit with drums containing tanning solutions of various strengths. Over two to three months, the tanners move the hides from drum to drum, into progressively stronger solutions. The tanning agents penetrate the skins and the fermentation and deposition process leaves the hides with a distinct color and appearance.
• Synthetic tanning: frequently employed as an alternative to chrome tanning. It is used in combination with either vegetable tanning or chrome tanning. It uses artificial tanning agents such as formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, phenols and acrylates. Tanning with aldehydes and oils produce very soft leathers like those used in car seats. This system can be used to produce dry-cleanable and washable fashion leathers as well as chamois leather.

 

Chrome tanning uses several chemicals which can be harmful to the environment and if not properly handled can end up polluting the air, soil and water. Effluent treatment, neutralizing water discharged from the treatment areas, is now mandatory in most countries due to the standards set by the Leather Working Group (LWG), a global multi-stakeholder community committed to building a sustainable future with responsible leather, and governmental regulations. Previous to LWG standardizations, controls were lax in developing countries leading to high levels of pollution around tanneries. Tanneries are often associated with a very strong unappealing smell due to the processes emitting a distinct aroma. Historically, this meant tanneries were located away from settlements and towns. Workers at tanneries using chromium are at higher risk of cancers and diseases linked to the chemicals they are exposed to.

Leather from different species have unique characteristics making them most suitable for specific applications. Varying leathers are used for garments, upholstery, bags and other leather goods, shoes and footwear, clothing, belts, and saddlery. Remnants and scraps of leather are used in several applications. 

 

Sheep/lamb, goat, and calfskin are the most used choices for leather garments. These leathers are soft, light, and supple making them an ideal choice for clothing. Alan Novie at World Source, a business listed on Fashion Index, says 100% of the leather they use is a byproduct of the food industry. They use leather from lamb, goat, and cow, with lambskin for most of the garments they make. While cowhide is used to make the majority of leather in the world, the vast majority of this material is used in the upholstery industry for furniture and cars because of its thickness and durability. In the fashion industry, It is used in coats and jackets, particularly in menswear. It is also used in accessories like belts and bags as well as in footwear. Pigskin yields a much denser leather than other animals. It is very comfortable and water resistant leading to its use in gloves, shoes. and sportswear. Less than 0.2% of leather produced worldwide comes from ‘exotic’ animals (anything other than cows, sheep, pigs, or goats).

Often billed as a more sustainable leather option, bonded leather is made from leather remnants and scraps that are mulched into shreds, combined with water and then mixed with binding products such as natural rubber, wood bark, or petroleum products. The leather pulp is then formed into a sheet and mechanically processed to a specific size, color, and texture.  This product uses remnants that would otherwise go to the scrap pile. It may be marketed as recycled leather implying it is less wasteful and more sustainable than leather. However, depending on what is used in the gluing process, the resultant bonded leather may no longer be biodegradable. The process also leaves the bonded leather much less durable and with a strong propensity for cracking making it more similar to synthetic leather.

 

LWG is a not-for-profit that drives best practices and positive social and environmental change for responsible leather production. They see a sustainable future with responsibly made leather and aim for greater supply chain transparency with minimal environmental impact. To address safety and environmental concerns, LWG provides a platform that enables brands and retailers to work with suppliers throughout the supply chain and build a chemical management system that is aligned with Zero Discharge of Hazardous Substances and AFRIM Group objectives. Combined with a robust testing program, this helps their members provide assurance that safer chemistry has been practiced in the manufacture of leather from LWG certified facilities.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The SDGs demand action to build strategies which tackle climate change, protect our natural environment, improve health and education, reduce inequality, and stimulate economic growth. Their flagship certification, LWG Leather Manufacturer Audit Standard, delivers against several of the SDGs.

LWG has three levels of certifications for their members, gold, platinum, and bronze with the bronze being the least robust of these high standards. According to Alan at World Source, close to 90% of the tanneries and leather manufacturers in the regions making most of the leather (China, India, Italy, France, etc.)  currently meet LWGs bronze standards or higher because the global community enforces the strict regulations to protect their employees and the planet. 

This is a big change from even as little as 10 years ago. LWG also demands transparency from the leather industry. Not only do the tanneries and factories have to be safe places to work and live near, they must disclose from where they are sourcing their skins. LWG is working to develop the chain of custody for LWG leather to provide a framework for credible product claims. Traceability gives brands and  stakeholders the ability to assess, monitor, and make improvements across diverse issues and risks from deforestation, animal welfare, and biodiversity to water and carbon foot-printing. These topics can only be accurately understood with full visibility of where materials originate from and how they were produced.

 

While there is a growing population of vegetarians and vegans, less than 1% of the global population is vegan. Vegetarians most often consume dairy products including milk and cheese from cows, sheep, and goats. That means almost 8 billion people currently eat meat and/or eat or drink dairy products. Global consumption of meat and/or dairy products is not going to end any time soon. Some also maintain that the process for creating animal-based leathers is more sustainable as there is less waste when all parts of the animal are used. Animal skins are a byproduct of the meat and dairy industry. If the skins were not made into leather, they would be a waste product. Hides are 100% biodegradable, but it is not a quick process and the volume coming from processing plants would quickly overwhelm commercial composting sites and/or landfills. This makes leather tanned and manufactured by LWG certified facilities arguably more sustainable than not producing the leather. As more facilities move from LWG bronze to gold and silver level the impact of leather will continue to lessen.

Fashion designers have created brands or signature lines/looks around leather and its characteristics. Walking into a leather goods store and smelling the high quality products instantly transports me to my childhood days on the horse farm. Durable, functional, and beautiful, leather remains a cornerstone material of the fashion industry. Leather Working Group maintains standards for best practices in the leather production industry. These standards are helping transform the global industry into one that is safer and more sustainable. We support LWG’s actions and interventions to reduce the environmental impact of leather production. The most sustainable leather is leather you already own, or leather that already exists. Leather is a valuable material worthy of a place in a thoughtfully curated closet.