_edited.jpg)
LEATHER
How leather production impacts animals
"To produce one typical pair of cow skin leather boots, at least 66kg of CO2e is emitted. That’s like charging 8,417 smartphones." ~ Collective Fashion Justice
Whilst leather is produced from the skin of many different animals, Cattle and Buffalo are by far the most commonly used animal in the leather industry, with over 67% of leather products made from bovine skins. The meat & dairy industries deliver a narrative whereby leather is an innocent by-product that doesn't support slaughter; instead, it reduces waste by using more of the animal. The reality is that animal skins are highly profitable to the meat and dairy industry, and without their sale, there would be a significant impact on the industry's profits. Leather production kills cows, decimates wildlife and detrimentally affects our climate.
Fast Facts
.png)
.png)
Leather comes from Calves and Cows used in Meat & Dairy Production
FORCED IMPREGNATIONS, SEPARATION OF MOTHER AND CALF, EARLY SLAUGHTER
On modern dairy farms, cows are artificially inseminated each year. The procedure is invasive, where a person inserts their arm into the cow's anus to position the cow's cervix into the required position to receive a straw of semen inserted via the cow's vulva. Nine months later, the cow will deliver her baby. The Australian Dairy industry recommends that dairy calves be forcibly removed from their mothers within 12 hours of birth.
Cows can form powerful maternal bonds with their babies, a process that, in nature, ensures they stay close and protect their vulnerable young. Separation of calf and mother is incredibly stressful to both calf and mother. Cows may bellow and search for their calf where they last were. Separation before natural weaning is proven to be harmful to calves, who demonstrate increased heart rates and vocalisations.
Every year in Australia, the forced pregnancies of dairy cows results in the birth of approximately 800,000 calves. Three-quarters of female calves are kept to replace the milking herd. Most male calves and surplus females are considered "wastage". 66,000 are killed straight after birth (usually by blunt force trauma with a hammer, a legal and routine practice on Australian dairy farms).
Around 623,000 more are given one last feed and loaded onto trucks headed to sale yards or slaughterhouses. These calves are typically killed for pet food, leather goods, the pharmaceutical industry, or processed into pink veal for human consumption.
Painful Procedures
LEGALISED CRUELTY
You may think leather is just a byproduct of the meat industry, but it comes with its own set of ethical concerns—especially since cattle aren't shielded by the animal cruelty laws that protect other animals. Here are some eye-opening practices you should know about:
Dehorning: Imagine having the sensitive, nerve-filled horns cut off your head without pain relief. That's dehorning, and it's as agonizing for cattle as it sounds.
Disbudding: This involves burning off the calf's emerging horns using a scalding hot iron. The iron is pressed into the animal's skull to destroy the horn tissue before it can fully grow, causing extreme pain.
Castration: Done in one of three ways—surgical, non-surgical, or crushing—each method is painful and conducted without anesthesia.
Branding: Imagine having your skin scorched by a hot iron or freeze-burned by liquid nitrogen. Branding is not just for identification; it's a painful and permanent scar that animals have to endure.
Leather may be a popular material, but it's crucial to consider the hidden cost paid by animals. Today more and more leather alternatives are being created. Would you reconsider your choices knowing these facts?
Slaughter
THERE IS NO HUMANE WAY TO TAKE THE LIFE OF SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO LIVE
According to the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines- Land Transport of Livestock, cattle can be deprived of water for up to 48 hours while being shipped to slaughter.
To move the often frightened cattle down the race into the 'knock box', electric prodders or physical aggression are often used.
In the beef and dairy industries, the method of slaughter considered ‘best practice’ for fully-developed cattle is to stun them by shooting the animal in the head with a captive bolt gun to render them unconscious and slit their throat so they bleed out.
This method of ‘stunning’ can be ineffective and is never permanent; as such cattle can be killed while at least partially conscious. If cattle do not bleed out soon after they are shot, they may regain consciousness during this awful ordeal.
Toxic Tanneries
SKINS ROT. LEATHER WONT.
To change organic and biodegradable animal skins to a product that will not break down over time, they must undergo a process known as tanning.
Most (90%) leather produced worldwide is tanned using highly toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, arsenic and chromium. These chemicals are proven to cause chronic coughing, serious skin ailments and many diseases in those working in tanneries, including children.
Modern tanneries are so toxic that 95% of U.S. tanneries have moved their operations overseas to avoid environmental oversight penalties.
Image: Cascoly
Impact on Biodiversity
THE SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION
Over the last fifty years, the Amazon rainforest has become one of the main cattle farming regions in the world. With 5 to 8% annual expansion, cattle farming (for beef, dairy and leather) is the leading cause of Amazon forest clearing, closely followed by soy production, of which 80% goes into animal feed. Brazil is second only to China as a top producer of bovine skin. One Brazilian leather bag is equivalent to 1,000 square metres of cleared land.
In Australia, animal agriculture is the leading cause of land clearing, with over 54% of land degradation due to animal farming (particularly cattle farming). Farming cattle for beef, dairy and leather is responsible for 93% of deforestation in Queensland's Great Barrier Reef catchment areas.
Land clearing is the leading cause of species extinction in Australia and across the globe. Species do not exist in isolation; they are interconnected. A single species interacts with many other species in specific ways, so when one species goes extinct in an ecosystem, other species are affected, impacting how the ecosystem functions and its benefits.
"Currently, the species extinction rate is estimated between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than natural extinction rates—the rate of species extinctions that would occur if we humans were not around." World Wildlife Org
Today, we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction event.
Water Useage
DRINKING THE PLANET DRY
Many people know about the water required to make cotton products, but few are aware of how much water is required to make products from leather. Not surprisingly, with 67% of leather products being made from bovine skins (cattle or buffalo), water usage is significant. Collective Fashion Justice crunched the numbers; did you know that producing these items takes this much water?
-
Conventional cotton shirt = 2,494 litres
-
Cow skin leather shoes = 7,612 litres
-
Cow skin leather boots = 12,370 litres
-
Cow skin leather tote bag = 17,128 litres
A similar tote bag made using synthetic PU leather production would require 14 x less water.
New Leathers
Wear it kind
Like wool, Leather is often viewed as a 'natural' material, but on closer inspection the harsh reality is revealed. Leather is made from the skin of animals, and carries with it all the cruelty and environmental destruction of other aspects of animal agriculture.
Conventional synthetic leather uses fossil fuels but still has a lighter impact on the planet than leather from cows. To protect our planet and all its inhabitants, we must go beyond virgin fossil fuel and animal-derived materials. While some alternatives may not be perfect, they serve as stepping stones toward further innovation and are among the best options available today
Producing leather has a huge and negative impact on the environment. From deforestation, land degredation and production of greenhouse gases, leather is far from the sustainable product it is promoted as. In fact, even conventional synthetic leather, made using fossil fuels, still has a lighter impact on the planet than cow skin leather. But there are better options still.
The fashion industry is innovating more and more environmentally friendly leather alternatives each year. We are well on the way to producing sustainable, natural, animal friendly fibres that still rock the runway.
In 2022, 5.8 million cattle were killed in Australia for their meat and skins. Each one was an individual who valued their life. Create a more compassionate world, embrace the growing number of kinder leather alternatives, and you will no longer be contributing to their suffering.
By choosing to move beyond leather, you're rejecting unnecessary violence and environmental devastation.
Pictured: Sans Beast Archive Tote - Noir
Kinder Options
Mushroom Leather
This leather alternative is made from Mycelium, which is the root-like part of fungi. Mycelium is grown in indoor farms and can be be harvested in just a few days, a stark contrast to the years it takes to raise cattle. This process is efficient and significantly more sustainable. Companies like Bolt Threads and Myco Works are leading producers of such materials.
Cactus Leather
Cactus leather stands out for its soft texture and incredible versatility. The cactus plant's natural toughness and adaptability make it the perfect source for this sustainable material.
Derived from the Nopal cactus leaves, cactus leather is organic, durable, and exceptionally strong. It resists abrasion, rubbing, and tearing with ease. Plus, it's highly breathable and water-resistant, making it ideal for fashion items, shoes, handbags, furniture, and more.
Pineapple Leather
Piñatex is made of fibre from the waste leaves of pineapple plants. These leaves are a by-product of existing pineapple harvests, so the raw material requires no additional environmental resources to produce.
Appleskin Leather
AppleSkin™ is the bio-based leather alternative made from apple solids discarded by the beverage industry, such as cider, juice and compote.
Kinder Options
