16/01/2021
When you hear the words “ Leather Tannery”, very often you might wonder how sustainable the Leather industry really is and so in a bid to save the environment, you may look for alternatives of real leather. The truth is Faux leather / Vegan Leather (synthetic material that does not use animal skin) do more damage to the environment as the main materials used are polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU), which are resin (plastic) based materials. Another term for fake leather is “pleather” which comes from the term plastic leather. These two commonly used synthetic materials have raised questions about the dangers of vegan leather to the environment.
The main concern for most people when deciding between vegan and real leather is the impact it has on animals and the environment. Although the term vegan leather might imply an environmentally friendly product, this is far from the truth.
The truth is, more often than not, animals are killed for their meat not skins. These animal skins are going into landfills or being burnt, neither of which is beneficial for the environment. The leather industry uses these skins which would otherwise be wasted, to convert into beautiful sustainable and long lasting leather articles. So if you think about it, when tanned with the right non-hazardous chemicals the leather industry is helping the environment. Remember, the leather industry IS a by-product of the meat industry and Synthetic leather isn’t better for the environment.
At Veera Tanneries, we only make Chrome Free Organic Leather and have our own stand-alone Effluent Treatment Plant. The treated effluent is used in the Leather making process thus ensuring no damage to the environment. Our Tannery is not only sustainable but also involved in agricultural activities like growing cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables.