Leather comes from animals. Animal agriculture has environmental costs. So is buying a leather bag the wrong choice for an environmentally conscious person? The answer is more nuanced than most brands will tell you.
The byproduct argument
The most important environmental fact about leather is this: it is a byproduct, not a primary product. The animals whose hides become leather — cattle, buffalo, goat — are raised primarily for food. The hide is what remains after the food industry has taken what it needs. If it is not made into leather, it goes to landfill or is incinerated.
Using that hide to create a product that lasts 20-30 years is, by any reasonable measure, better than wasting it. The environmental cost of the animal's existence has already been incurred by the food industry. Leather uses what would otherwise be discarded.
The honest problem with tanning
Industrial chrome tanning uses chromium salts and other chemicals that, if not properly managed, can pollute waterways. This is a genuine problem in poorly regulated tanneries.
However, there are better options:
- Vegetable tanning uses natural tannins from tree bark. It is slower and more expensive but produces no harmful chemical waste. Traditional craftsmen in Rajasthan have used vegetable tanning for centuries.
- Well-regulated tanneries treat chemical waste before discharge — standard practice in European tanneries and increasingly common in Indian ones.
The comparison with vegan leather
Most vegan leather on the market is PU leather — polyurethane plastic derived from petroleum.
- It is fossil fuel derived: PU leather is made from oil and contributes directly to carbon emissions.
- It does not biodegrade: PU leather breaks down into microplastics and persists in the environment for hundreds of years.
- It has a short lifespan: Most PU leather products last 2-5 years. A full-grain leather bag lasts 20-30 years. Over 30 years, you might buy 8-10 vegan leather bags or one leather bag.
The longevity argument
The most sustainable product is one you never have to replace. Fast fashion is the real environmental problem in accessories — not quality leather goods. A £20 bag replaced every two years has a far higher lifetime environmental footprint than a £200 leather bag that lasts 25 years.
Our position
We believe full-grain leather, made from byproduct hides, using traditional tanning methods, built to last decades, is a genuinely responsible choice compared to the alternatives currently available. We do not claim leather is perfect. We do believe the honest environmental comparison — considered over a full product lifespan — favours leather made the right way.