Leather is an animal-derived material made from the skin of species such as cows, goats, sheep, pigs, deer, or exotic animals. Leather is obtained by skinning an animal, cleaning the skin of hair and preserving it through tanning and dyeing processes. While some suppliers offer leather that is strictly a certified by-product of the meat industry (for cow, sheep, calf and pig) this is not the case for all the leather available in the market.(1) The leather industry is linked with severe environmental and social impacts. These include high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, intensive water and land use, critical deforestation and biodiversity loss caused by clearing areas for rearing livestock, and also water pollution with chemical effluents from leather processing. Further concerns are related to animal welfare, especially inhumane slaughtering.(1-4) Alternatives include vegetable tanned leather, fish skin and a growing range of vegan leather options.
LEATHER
