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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/12/hide-and-chic-are-clothes-and-apparel-made-from-alternative-leathers-better-for-the-environment>
"In sustainable fashion, breathless promises about vegan leather have arrived
thick and fast for over a decade. Innovations promise mushroom and cactus
alternatives that look and feel like real leather – minus the negative
associations with methane, deforestation, chemical pollution and animal
welfare.
While these next-gen materials have absorbed billions of dollars in capital
under an environmental banner, experts are concerned they remain a shiny
distraction while the fashion industry’s emissions and reliance on fossil
fuel-derived materials grows.
“Apple leather, orange leather, pineapple leather, fruit salad leather. It’s
like, seriously do we really have to call it leather?” the founder of Nature
Matters, Dr Helen Crowley, says. She spent a decade leading nature and
sustainable sourcing for the luxury conglomerate Kering. “I haven’t yet seen an
alternative leather become an alternative, I’ve seen it just added to the
portfolio. It’s about more variety and more stories to sell more stuff.”
According to Textile Exchange, global production of raw hides used in
traditional leather – a co-product of the meat industry – has increased
steadily over the last two decades from 10.5m tonnes in 2005 to 13.8m tonnes in
2024. It’s evidence that despite the time and money spent on new materials, and
endless campaigns by animal rights activists, alternatives to leather have
failed to slow growth in demand for real leather.
Approximately half of all leather is used in footwear, 5 to 10% goes into
apparel, 10 to 15% in home textiles, and the remainder is spread across other
applications like leather goods (bags, wallets) and the automotive industry.
Advancements in vegan leathers are complicated by the commercial viability of
new materials and questions about whether or not they are actually better for
the environment, since most rely on some amount of plastic. For those wanting a
hide-free wardrobe, here’s what to know about alternative leathers."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
