We live in an era in which particular attention is paid to safeguarding the planet. We are increasingly aware of the impact our actions have on the environment and recognize the need to preserve it for future generations.
Today, the watchword is sustainability : from the daily choices we make as individuals to the decisions we make as a society. This awareness is spreading rapidly, also involving companies and their production.
In fact, more and more brands have started to use vegan leather and apple leather as sustainable alternatives to animal leather. But what are these materials?
VEGAN LEATHER
Contrary to popular belief, vegan leather and apple leather are nothing more than "polyurethane fabrics with a small part of organic components".
Vegan leather is a synthetic material made primarily using polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), combined with base fabrics such as cotton or polyester and often has a strange odor due to the substances present.
Thanks to technological advances it has become increasingly sophisticated in its appearance and texture, so as to recreate the look and feel of animal skin .
And as much as anyone says, it is far from zero impact , a certain and negative impact: for its production, vehicles and machinery that have fossil fuels as their energy source are often used. This means that sustainability is very questionable.
APPLE SKIN
Apple skin is a material obtained from the recycling of food industry waste . Apple peels, normally considered waste, are recovered and transformed into a substance that has the appearance and texture similar to real leather.
But, even in this case, not all that glitters is gold. Let's see the composition: 38% polyurethane, 26% apple waste, 20% polyester, 16% cotton.
Are we sure that almost 60% synthetic leather is really sustainable?
Discover sustainable leather products
NATURAL FIBERS AND MATERIALS, THE BEST ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE
Materials such as polyester and nylon are strong so they are well suited to the production of fashion accessories, however their production requires a large use of petroleum resources and large amounts of energy .
Dispersed in the environment they remain almost unchanged for decades , never biodegradable , and release plastic microfibers during use, contributing to microplastic pollution in the seas , a well-known problem. So while synthetic leather is a good material, it's actually just a currently unsuccessful attempt to find a sustainable alternative.
Vegan leather and apple leather, therefore, are just a touch of green to what is a synthetic fabric derived from petroleum.
It is already misleading to associate the name leather with something that industry experts define as polyurethane fabric , combining it with a natural name can make it seem almost a scam. We'll leave it up to you to decide whether it is or not.
HAS ANYONE EVER SEEN SKIN ISLANDS?
We only use genuine leather because it guarantees maximum durability, a unique appearance and in fact, at present, it is still the most sustainable of solutions.
Sustainability guaranteed by the very essence of the leather which is by nature easily biodegradable and requires environmentally friendly manufacturing processes : we only use leathers tanned in Italy and Europe where the quality standards and control over the products used for tanning are at the highest levels.
We have all seen the photos with the islands of plastic and various synthetic materials, including fabrics, no one has ever seen the islands of leather.
