We are huge fans of Faux Leather!

For starters, it doesn’t involve harming animals, which is always a good thing. (Cows, pigs, calves, and ponies are all fans!) Did you know that it also looks gorgeous and wears well? Besides being animal-friendly, one of the best things about faux leather is that it’s really easy to maintain and is actually easier on the environment than, well… leather. It’s exciting that so many designers are including it in their collections because it has evolved so much – not only is it kind, it’s cool.

Wake up call…

So, why is faux leather more eco-friendly than leather (whodathunk)? A study in 1998 determined that “From start to finish the amount of energy required to produce a leather hide is 20 times greater than the production of a synthetic.”
Creating leather requires strong chemicals, which are specifically used to stop a hide from naturally decomposing. As a result, leather is said to have at least 100 years before it begins to biodegrade.

Novacas Justin Lace-up ShoeAccording to Farm Sanctuary, over 40% of the total land mass in the United States is used to raise animals for food and 80% of the farmland is used to feed the nearly 10 billion animals that are slaughtered in the U.S. alone each year.  In fact, throughout the world, incredible amounts of land (including rainforests) are being bulldozed daily to make room to feed livestock.

On top of that, livestock production requires gargantuan amounts of energy and water (in fact, nearly HALF of all the water in the U.S. is used for this – makes us thirsty just to think about it.)

Plus, we all remember the U.N. report from 2006 saying that livestock production contributes to 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions – more than all of the transportation in the world combined. Think about that – it’s an incredible fact.

 

isabel-boot-shoe-vegan-vickerey

Why go faux?

That’s not to say that faux leather doesn’t have an environmental impact – everything does in one way or another – but consider that Nike, which has been a pioneer in using organic cotton and has completely analyzed their supply chain, has this statement on their website: “Leather requires more energy, much more space and a great deal more labor to produce than synthetics. In addition synthetics are consistent in size and shape so all yards can be used, whereas with an animal hide the skin is uneven and scarred and much of the skins become waste.”

Although some synthetic leathers are made from plastic, many manufacturers are actually using recycled plastic bottles to make their finest pleather or natural materials that can biodegrade.

 

Hip, Happy, Soulful

This is why we’re happy to offer a great selection of faux leather. It’s easy to make a difference with small choices, kick the ball forward when you can, all while looking fab… and being kind to our furry friends, too.