Is it true that artificial skin does much less harm to nature than natural?

It is common that artificial leather, also called eco -leather, is much more harmless to the environment than natural. We decided to check if this is really so.

The very name "eco -leather" implies its environmental friendliness. This material is used for manufacturing clothes And accessories, upholstery furniture And finishes salons cars. Sites, telling about eco -legged, emphasize Attention on her environmental friendliness And care manufacturers About the environment.

The skin is one of the most ancient materials known to humanity. Already in the era of the early Paleolithic, people created clothing made of leather and skins of animals - in the Moroccan cave archaeologists discovered Tools of 120,000 years intended for processing skins. Leather products are characteristic of almost all existing and existing cultures on Earth. Mentioned The skin is in the Bible: “And the Lord God Adam and the wife of His clothes leather, and dressed them” (Genesis 3:21).

Things from natural and eco -leather have three main stages of existence: production, operation and disposal. Let's figure out how these materials affect the environment at each of these stages. Since there is no unified definition of what the eco-leather is not, manufacturers can call their goods with artificial skin, eco-leather, vegan, etc., but for uniformity in the text under eco-leather or artificial skin, a synthetic analogue of natural material will be understood, if otherwise.

Genuine leather is most often processed skins of cows and bulls, although there are more rare options, for example, things made of buffalo leather. Breeding cattle undoubtedly affects the ecology - by data The UN, animal husbandry provides 14.5% of all anthropogenic (human activities) greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This indicator consists of the very life of animals, the production of feed for them and maintaining pastures. So, according to research Greenpeace, most of the rain forests of the Amazon, was cut down precisely under the pastures for breeding livestock. However, the main goal of animal husbandry is the production of meat. Unlike merino sheep, crocodiles and pythons, which luxury brands like Hermès or Gucci Grow Especially, cows or bulls directly for the sake of subsequent production of the skin are not bred, and their skins are only a by -product. Demand for genuine skin at the same time falls: In 2019, experts interviewed by the large American publication Los Angeles Times admitted that the industry in the crisis and some companies are even forced to throw out animal skins, since no one wants to buy their products due to the trend on environmental friendliness. At the same time, meat consumption does not demonstrate tendencies to a decrease. The UN Food and Agricultural Organization predictsthat in 2050, humanity will consume 106 million tons of beef in a year, while in 2021 this indicator was equal 77 million tons, that is, it will increase by 38%.

In addition to the fact that genuine leather is a product of animal husbandry, it is worth considering that before becoming the final product, it undergoes a special processing process - tanning. Usually Used chrome tanning, in which, in addition to the chrome itself, lead, arsenic and some acids get into the environment. These substances contribute to soil erosion and are dangerous for people, as they cause irritation of mucous membranes and skin, can cause digestive problems, damage the liver and kidneys and, probably, cause cancer.

However, the production of artificial skin is by no means harmless to the ecology. Usually it Make it From polyurethane, polyamide, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyester. These substances are essentially the same plastic, from packages and cups from which Ecologists And Legislators Consult refuse. Polyvinyl chloride - Greenpeace causes special alertness Recommends Completely refrain from its use. Firstly, in the process of producing PVC, the environment is polluted by such dangerous compounds as dioxins, polychlorified diphenals, flulates and hexachlorbenzole, as well as lead, chromium and cadmium. Secondly, these toxic substances easily migrate from PVC products to consumers, which is a danger in the process of use. Thirdly, of all polyvinyl chloride polymers, the least processed, less than 1% of this plastic is capable of decomposition, and it cannot be mixed with other plastics for melting it, since toxic compounds are released during the processing.

The process of production of polyurethane is no less dangerous for a person - Taiwanese scientists discoveredthat the workers of the factory to create artificial skin in the body accumulated hazardous substances that are released during the production process - dimethylformamide And Epichlorgidrin, affecting the mucous membrane and skin, internal organs, as well as, presumably, contributing to the occurrence of cancer and congenital pathologies in the next generations.

It turns out that both genuine leather and its synthetic analogue in the process of their production have a significant negative impact on the environment. Livestock in itself is a source of greenhouse gases, while plastic is the result of oil refining. Heavy metals are used for tanning genuine leather, but the process of creating eco -leather is not complete without them. Therefore, it is impossible to call the process of production of some of these materials unambiguously harmless to the environment.

We now move on to the process of operating such products. Products made of genuine leather are extremely durable and can be used for decades. Caring for them is also very simple - as things become contaminated Recommend Just wipe with a damp sponge or vacuum. Artificial leather products are less durable, there is no data on the shelf life of clothing, but Manufacturers furniture and covers for furniture from Eco -leggings denote its service life from two to ten years. Care for artificial leather things is different, but usually manufacturers Recommend Washing in delicate modes in a washing machine or manually. According to scientists, due to each washing of just one synthetic thing of 1900 plastic particles, otherwise called microplasty, They get to the environment (one particle counts Sample up to 5 mm long). More than 80% of samples of drinking water collected from five continents and a dozen countries, turned out to be Polluted by microplasty, the joint study of OrbMedia and the School of Public Health of the University of Minnesota testifies. Non -profit project Fashion Revolution, promoting conscious consumption in the world of fashion, reportsthat up to 25% of the total carbon trace of the thing falls on its washing. Even if artificial leather clothes will not wash as often as other things from synthetics, but in the process of using such a wardrobe item, most likely, will more negatively affect the environment than an analogue of genuine leather. 

Finally, consider the disposal of products of two materials. Like any other synthetics, eco -leather is almost not amenable to decomposition. Such things along with plastic bags, cups and bottles will lie on a landfill for hundreds of years. Plastic products decompose Up to 500 years, depending on the environment and what polymer they are made of. All this time they pollute the air, soil and ponds by the already mentioned particles of microplasty. Genuine leather products, even passing through chrome tanning, decompose Faster - in about 50 years. Also exist Separate Projects for processing and secondary use of leather products. Therefore, the disposal of genuine leather can be safely called a more environmentally friendly process than the utilization of eco -leather.

In addition, you should always pay attention to the carbon trace that leaves the transportation of the product to the final consumer. It is impossible to compare abstract things from two materials according to this criterion, you can only derive a common (albeit somewhat simplified) pattern: the closer to the final consumer the place of production, the less carbon trace will leave the transportation. Therefore, choosing the most environmentally friendly version of clothing, it is also worth considering the place where it was produced.

However, in genuine skin, truly environmentally friendly competitors begin to appear. So, the Spanish company Ananas Anam I presented it Alternative skin from processed pineapple leaves called Piatex, a joint American-Niderland project Mylo Offers Everyone who wants to dress in the skin of mushroom mycelium, the American biotechnological company Modern MEADOW Derived to the market grown in the laboratory of Biokozh, and the innovative brand Pangaia introduced In 2020, sneakers value € 205 from leather obtained from waste production. None of these projects use oil refining products in production, and their products are not a polymer that polluts the planet with microplasty and does not decompose for hundreds of years. Perhaps it is these alternatives that can replace genuine skin, but there are no tendencies to reduce meat consumption on the planet, so animal skins will still have to be used to somehow use or environmentally display.

The second opportunity to reduce environmental impact is the rejection of chrome tanning of skins in favor of plant. In this case, at the stage of production, toxic compounds are not distinguished, and the stage of disposal of the product of the product is accelerated. At the same time, the skin with vegetable overturning is less flexible and not so evenly painted, so manufacturers of clothing, shoes and accessories are less interested in it. May-la Pickorli, co-founder of the ATP Atelier brand, using only skin without chrome tanning, tells About our position: “We use skins that come from the food industry, because as long as we eat meat, there will be skins. This is a by -product, and I think it is more environmentally friendly than using artificial skin, because it is made of oil products: polyurethane, PVC - and this is plastic. ” 

Thus, at the stage of production, both genuine leather and artificial significantly harm the environment, pollute water and air with various toxic compounds, but at the stage of operation and utilization, genuine leather causes a much lower harm to the environment. However, for someone, a decisive factor in the choice may not be environmental, but the ethical component-in the process of creating eco-leggings no one is not killed, therefore, from this point of view, it may turn out to be a preferred option.

Image on the cover: Image by Congerdesign from Pixabay

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