Understanding the Differences - Regular Leather, Eco Leather and Vegan Leather

Buying leather wallets, card holder, leather men purse, boots, bags and other leather products is a very common practice. As a result, leather products have become a very prominently used commodity in our lives.

But the recent revelations of leather’s not so sustainable and less nature-friendly processes have questioned our choice of products. That is when two big leather alternatives, Eco-leather and Vegan leather, came up.

Since the concepts and definitions of these leather types are not entirely clear, it has become a tedious task for consumers to figure out the right leather. So, this article explains each leather type and its distinctive qualities.

Regular Leather

Regular leather is the material that we have been using for several years. It is usually obtained from animal skin. Most leather is made from cattle; the rest uses skin from sheep, goats, and pigs. They undergo several processes to become leather from raw animal skin.

While many argue that leather is only a by-product of the meat industry, the environmental concerns with leather go beyond animal skin. The significant issues are in terms of the tanning process, which uses harsh chemicals and is very harmful to the surroundings, and the huge resources it uses during production.

Apart from their environmental concerns, regular leather is an excellent material. It offers strong and durable products that are also stylish and give a rich look.

Eco Leather

Eco-leather is eco-friendly leather produced using natural processes and environmentally sound tanning procedures. It is not to say that the production of eco-leather doesn’t involve chemicals, but they use a very minimum amount of it.

Eco-leather is a broad term covering several leather types, including leather from animal skin, provided it has been tanned and produced environmentally friendly. Though some vegan leather types produced naturally can be considered eco-leather, vegan leather is not synonymous with eco-leather.

Eco-leather is good for the environment. It also uses very few resources, like water and energy, making it a sustainable option. Eco-leather is slightly less durable and less strong than regular leather, but it is more eco-friendly and affordable than standard leather. It is also very close to regular leather in terms of appearance and style.

Vegan Leather

Vegan leather mimics regular leather. But instead of animal skin, it is created from artificial or mainly plant-based products. The main aim is to produce leather without exploiting any animals.

It is often made from polyurethane, a polymer. It is made from sustainable materials like cork, apple peels, pineapple leaves, and others. But their credibility as eco-friendly leather is questioned time and again.

Closing Thoughts

Eco-leather is one of the best alternatives and leads the environmental change among these three types of leather. Therefore, it is more beneficial for the environment and human beings. Eco-leather is also affordable and meets our demands and style requirements.

So if you are considering shifting towards an eco-friendly lifestyle, eco-leather is the most viable choice. You can find a wide range of collections at Ecoloom.

Eco-leather is the eco-friendly choice!