Ask Textile History - Leather vs. Pleather!

Turns out we are right to be conflicted about this one, because there is no easy answer to the question to be had.

Find me elsewhere:

References:
(2) Ahmed, D.; Maraz, K. M. Benefits and Problems of Chrome Tanning in Leather Processing: Approach a Greener Technology in Leather Industry. 2023.
(19) United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Leather Carbon Footprint. Rev. Eur. Stand. EN 168872017 2017.

[lunarmagpie]

Just popping in about 3 minutes into the video to mention my appreciation and gratitude for your captioning! I know it’s extra work with very little recognition, and as a HoH viewer I’m deeply grateful to you for taking on that work.

[elinordrake]

Less use by many is more useful than abstinence by a few. Love that!

[platypus]

A couple notes as someone who's very much interested in this topics (and also does shoemaking):
On the topic of durability and veg tan leather:
It is often said that veg tan leather is more durable, but I usually find this claim made in a marketing context to justify its greater price. It is true that veg tan "patinas" better than chrome tan, in my opinion. In real terms, this means that worn, beat up chrome tan looks subjectively better than worn, beat up chrome tan. However, the fact is that chrome tan is actually about twice as strong, and is also more abrasion resistant (which I've tested for myself).
You mentioned in the video that some chrome tans begin flaking months after use, and I believe this is related to the misconception that chrome tan is less durable. "Genuine leather" refers to the second lowest grade of leather. It is called genuine leather because the nicest thing one can say about it is that it is, technically, leather.
Genuine leather is a marketing term, and in industry the equivalent product is usually called a "finished split". It's essentially the worst portion of leather with a heavy plastic coating on top to make it look like normal leather. This plastic coating is not durable, and also the leather substrate itself is very weak so de-lamination is inevitable, and often quite quick. In fact, most chrome tan leather on the market is coated in some amount of plastic to improve its cosmetic appearance. This is one point that should be considered when assessing environmental impact. I would say that low quality "genuine leather" is longer lasting and better than the pleather options, but I would not consider it "good" by any stretch. (do note that good chrome tans, without the plastic coating are available. They will usually be called something like "full grain").
Another point on the durability of chrome tans is that their quality varies massively. As chrome tanning is so much cheaper, often it is the case that people try to cut costs even more to make the cheapest leather, which is often much less durable. Obviously, this is not usually done with veg tan, as even the cheapest, most corner cut veg tan will still be too expensive for the cheap leather market. One way to spot when the leather itself is cheap is if you cut the leather and look at the edge. If the cross section of the leather is still blue (the color is from the chrome salts) then it was made in a rush. This can be spotted in the cracks of your boots at 19:52. All of this is to say, plastic coatings on cheap chrome tans will last the least long, non coated, but poorly tanned chrome tans will last longer but are not good, and good chrome tans will last the longest, even moreso than veg tans in my estimation. That being said, in my opinion, veg tan has many subjectively nice qualities, and cosmetically it's easier to burnish out flaws which may extend the amount of time the product is considered usable, even if the physical durability state is the unchanged.

On the topic of the toxicity of chrome tanning chemicals:
As I've mentioned above, often on low quality chrome tans, the centre of the hide is still blue from the tanning salts that haven't been properly rinsed out. I would submit that this is a bit concerning, and here's why. When working with veg tans, I often have to wet the leather to make it more malleable. The veg tan I get is of reasonably good quality, and yet after a few hours, my hands are still feeling absolutely parched from the remaining tannin leaching out of the leather into my hands. Furthermore, any spot I hit with a steel hammer turns black from the formation of iron tannin ink. Now, imagine how much chrome salts are remaining in a low quality chrome tan which is still visibly blue, compared to the amount of tannin that I get on my hands from a relatively good veg tan. Now, the fact that it's blue and not orange proves that it's chrome 3+ which is *supposedly* fine, and I'm told the tanneries have gotten better at minimizing the amount of 6+ in it, but...

On the topic of the fancy alternative leathers:
Having done a lot of digging, these are usually some sort of recycled fibre (this is usually the advertised material, e.g. apple, rice husk, ect) mixed with a resin (often an elastomer), and then coated with the same sorts of plastics used on cheap chrome tans, or pleathers. The resin is doing most of the work, and the recycled fibre is not contributing anything special. One could get equal or better results by using something like recycled cotton fibres. In one case, I found a company who said their product was degradable but they could not call it biodegradable because (they claim) the epa had an overly strict technical requirement for biodegradability. In reality, some digging revealed that their product used natural isoprene rubber as the binder between the fibres, and thus would technically be degradable, yes, but in several decades. This sounds like it's better than straight up plastics, but do note, the reason it can degrade in several decades is because rubber inherently has that property. In other words, this logic also applies to tires.

The most promising leather alternative I've seen is the kombucha scoby leather that was briefly researched a couple years ago by Thought Emporium here on youtube. The only ingredients in that were kombucha scoby and some oil to soften it.

On the topic of the water cost of cow leather:
While raising animals for meat/leather is and always will be very inefficient, the statistics cited about the water cost of beef are often misleading. They fail to take into account that the vast majority of water "used" in raising beef is so-called green water, i.e. rain that falls on a hill. Furthermore, most of the food used to raise the cows is grass which grows naturally on so-called "marginal land" (land which could not be used for actual agriculture due to grade issues, e.g. on a hill, or the field being fallow). That being said, the beef industry is so all consuming that I've heard of rainforests being clear cut to make space for grazing fields, in which case this logic no longer applies.

[stanarkissed]

I have leather straps on a backpack that is around a century old. With good oiling, old leather just keeps going. I also have shoes from mid 20th century that continue to please, again with care. I think longevity is an important factor as well as salvaged materials being better.

[resourcedragon]

One of the reasons I avoid synthetic "leathers" is the smell. I've ended up throwing things out simply because of the smell.

Even if they don't smell, cheap shoes made from synthetic "leathers" are often almost as rigid as hard plastic. That doesn't work with my feet, I'm not good at pain.

[Addysfearless]

For me, its an issue of sweaty feet. Synthetic closed-toe shoes are an absolute "no" or I walk around in puddles.

[shindousan]

16:37 We need more comparison charts like this!

[TheMickydowling]

You may already be aware of comparable brands but you might be interested in mukishoes. Their footwear includes the use of a variety of materials including veg-tan leather, wool, cork, hemp, organic cotton, and natural rubber. The lining of their shoes is usually or always a natural material and often recycled or fashioned from off cuts and such. I think they're a very impressive company

[woochles]

Horse tack is often used for decades and the higher end tack is generally veg tanned. As long as you take care of the leather with regular cleaning and conditioning it really does last a long ass time. The cheaper stuff is generally not aniline dyed (and likely chrome tanned) and tends to be much less durable. Pleathers crack and in horse tack are generally nylon core coated in polyurethane. I've not used them but they don't seem to stay nice for all that long.

[haleyhoudini]

Thank you so much for doing this! I know it was a TON of work! ❤ I'm so grateful you were willing to give all of the time and cognitive effort to this subject! ❤

[MiffoKarin]

Very informative video, thank you!
I buy my leather items second hand when I can, but sometimes that's just not possible, so it's good to know the impact and durability of the different types of leather out there.

[ingeleonora-denouden]

Thank you for explaining these things so well!
Many people only hear/read the advertising texts (like the ones for 'vegan leather'), or base their opinion on emotional feelings (about animals being killed). And I know it's hard to find objective data to draw good conclusions. Probably most data are provided by the industry or others who get their money from selling a certain product, so they are not objective.

[ladyjusticesusan]

I must wear custom orthotic shoes or I don’t walk. They cost almost $500 for a pair of shoes. While the cost is high, they last pretty much forever because the vegetable tanned leather used throughout is super high quality. I have one pair for every day and one pair for better occasions. And I’ve had them for well more than 10 years and they aren’t showing signs of wear despite the one pair being worn every day all day in all weather. I do care for them carefully, especially after wearing in rain. While I envy those who can wear “cute” shoes, I have to say that even though $500 is a lot to spend at one time, when you average out that I have them for 15-20 years and use them every day, I’m actually spending a lot less than the ordinary person on shoes. Good well made leather shoes will indeed last so much longer, when cared for, than any other alternative.

[manhurter]

Very informative. I really enjoy these types of videos. Thanks for your hard work.

[pepperdrac]

I really loved your video! The balanced perspective is such a breath of fresh air. The comparison was clear and very to the point. Longevity is such an important factor to me and I love that you covered that. :)

[MiljaHahto]

About the lifecycle: I have leather shoes - used in the slush and sleet of the winter, the absolutely worst ones to leather - that I am now after 23 years selling forward, as my feet need bigger size these days. I'm pretty certain they are chrome tanned leather. I also have other leather shoes that have lasted way longer than 10 years. Just the soles have sometimes needed replacing.

[armedvsokord]

GNU Sir Terry. This is such a great quote!

[melissel]

This is interesting, thank you. Overall, I tend to think this comparison works mainly for vegetarians/vegan people or those who are close to that in the facts. Because honestly, if someone is already eating beef regularly, buying vegetable tanned leather is kind of the same in my opinion, except you buy it once. I personnally use this leather and could not compare it to pleathers. But I'm aware of the drawbacks and understand how it is not accessible to everyone, or necessarily the "best" choice in all cases, as well as how many people do not like using animal products for various valid reasons.

[sonjanordahl]

The, "Less use by many is more useful than abstinence by a few." Great sentiment. My personal way of looking at the resource cost is that the food and water consumed by an animal is just part of the natural cycle. The cost of running the trucks to haul and factories to process is the real cost. And it is incredibly sad that only the muscle is considered the useful part of the animal. We should be using the whole animal. We have gotten lazy and don't even try to find a use for the rest. It is so often just thrown out.

[garbtheater]

Thank for this info. I’m also struggling with this as a vegan who does not believe in the exploitation of animals for human gain, but I know plastic shoes are obviously not good either. As a compromise (depending on my needs) do buy secondhand leather products (usually damaged items no one wants), but any maintenance/repair of animal leather to make those products last requires MORE animal products (conditioners like you mentioned, additional leather the cobbler uses to resole your shoes, etc.)☹️