Is it leather? Writes on LinkedIn: Vive La France! A brilliant move made by the French government last November as they lowered the tax rate on leather repair work from 20% to 5% in an attempt to encourage people to repair rather than replace shoes and other leather goods.

This move is much more than just money – it’s a formal recognition that leather is a long-lasting, durable, repairable product that can last generations with proper care. And it’s leather’s longevity that is such a crucial element to its enviro-friendly characteristics.

Think about that – one natural product that can outlast plastic imitations by decades and eliminate the need for creating “new” non-biodegradable plastic material that needs to be replaced within a few years and then spends eternity in landfills.

While we congratulate France on this very progressive view of leather and hope other countries follow suit – we’d suggest an even tougher stance that penalizes companies that intentionally turn away from available natural materials to produce and sell higher profit, less durable goods. These actions lead directly to the unneeded pollution of our planet and are responsible for the crowding of landfills with toxic materials that will never leave the earth. That “choice” by retailers should be recognized and penalized at least enough to take the profit-driver out of the decision and should be substantial enough to dissuade them from choosing money over the environment.

Our industry needs to push beyond simple education on the benefits of leather and include efforts to expose the significant environmental damage caused by creating cheap, fake plastic alternatives.