According to the article in The Times, vegan leather is losing its green credentials as plastics require fossil fuels. “Pleather, or plastic leather, was revived as “vegan leather” and hailed as an eco-friendly alternative to the real thing. Now, however, it is being dropped by some brands over its green credentials.

The term was originally used to cover leather substitutes made from pineapple fibres and the pulp of apples and coconuts in a process that can be carbon neutral. It soon became a catch-all for synthetic versions created using non-biodegradable plastic, polyester, PVC and polyurethane. All require fossil fuels in their manufacturing.

In February, Portugal banned the phrases “vegan” and “synthetic” leather, saying that they were misleading. In France, there is pressure from the tanning industry to do similar. Vegan leather is under scrutiny, and rightly so,” Elizabeth Rhodes, of the luggage brand Antler, said. “Responsibly produced genuine leather is a sustainable choice that gets better with age.”

Please read the full article here https://lnkd.in/deBb8z3d