![[ecological footprint]](images/e-Footstep-155.jpg)
| Leather & alternatives |
| Wednesday, 01 November 2006 | ||||
What's wrong with leather?Leather may be made from cows, pigs, goats, and sheep, or exotic animals like alligators, ostriches, and kangaroos. And according to PETA, China even exports skins from dogs and cats around the world. Since leather is normally not labeled, you never really know where (or whom) it came from. Most of the millions of animals slaughtered for their skin endure the horrors of factory farming before being shipped to slaughter, where many may be skinned alive. When you buy leather you are supporting factory farms and slaughterhouses since skin is the most economically important byproduct of the meat industry. Leather is also no friend of the environment since it shares all the environmental destruction of the meat industry, in addition to the toxins used in tanning. See our farm animals page, Meat production's environmental toll, and PETA's Leather: No friend of the Earth and Demand for Skins Drives a Deadly Industry for details. Frequently Asked Questions The animals are dead only because there is a demand for their flesh and skin. If the demand decreases, fewer animals will be killed. You can "vote" for compassion every time you shop, simply by refusing to support industries that hurt animals and choosing humane alternatives instead. Isn't leather better for the environment than synthetics? As a renewable resource, leather seems like it should be green, but unfortunately this is not the case. Leather products are loaded with chemicals to keep them from decomposing in the buyer's closet, and leather production pollutes the environment and squanders precious resources. Formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, and various oils, dyes, and finishes-some of them cyanide-based-are used to turn animal skins into finished leather goods. Most leather produced in North America is chrome-tanned. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, all wastes containing chromium are hazardous. Tannery effluent also contains large amounts of other pollutants, such as lime sludge, sulfides, and acids. Huge amounts of fossil fuels are consumed in livestock production, much of it for fertilizers to grow feed crops. By contrast, synthetic wearables account for a much smaller fraction of petroleum use. Don't synthetic shoes make your feet sweat? Some of the newest synthetics are actually superior to real skins. For example, Chlorenol (called Durabuck by Nike), which is used in athletic and hiking shoes, is an innovative new material that "breathes," stretches around the foot with the same "give" as leather, and provides great support. You can also find nice shoes made from canvas or hemp. What am I supposed to do with the leather I already have? Once you learn about what happens to animals in the leather industry, you may decide to shed their skins for good. But not everyone can afford to throw out all their old clothes and buy an entirely new cruelty-free wardrobe all at once. Some people go leather-free overnight; others gradually replace leather goods with animal-friendly gear. Do what feels right to you. Vegan CompaniesPETA has compiled an impressive list of companies that sell only animal-friendly, non-leather products. A Shopper's Guide To Leather Alternatives Companies that sell non-leather alternativesPayless Shoe Source See PETA's long list of Companies That Sell Some Leather and Fur Alternatives. Leather-free safety footwareIt is not easy to find steel-toed construction footware. Some locations of Payless Shoes may carry safety shoes such as their Toronto store near Yonge and Finch. And in Canada, Mark's Work Wearhouse carries non-leather safety shoes, although their website doesn't mention them. Check out the Sprint with nylon mesh, and the Widow with microfiber upper. Both are made by Terra and appear to be leather-free. VRG's 2002 leather alternatives list has a work boots section that suggests four vegan mail order companies, and LaCrosse for rubber work boots. Mail order onlinematt and nat Moo Shoes Pangea Also see VRG's 2002 list of vegan mail order companies. Most are based in the US or Britain. Finding leather alternatives in Toronto
Note: ‘various locations’ is indicated when the store has more than two locations. Makers of vegetarian shoes and other products matt and nat Stores that only carry non-leather alternatives Toronto Hemp Company Stores that carry non-leather alternativesNote: To find stores that carry Matt & Nat, see listing above.
Also see our Vegetarian Marketplace page for online retailers of non-leather shoes, vegan items, kitchen equipment and other stuff. |
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What's wrong with leather? 
The following represents what we discovered by calling shoe stores in the Toronto area. Each store was asked if they carry any non-leather shoes. 