![\"Leather](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/395_image-asset.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
The facts.<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- \n
The leather industry is big business<\/span><\/a>, valued at approximately $420B in 2022 (this is approximately the same value as Bitcoin) and growing at over 5% annually.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
North America contributes to over 37% of the global market while Asia is the fastest growing region.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Currently, footwear is 44% of the market and the most rapid growth is in luxury leather goods along with the automotive industry.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Premium leather is an important driver of this growth. Luxury leather goods such as handbags have become aspirational items, and as disposable income of people across the globe increases, this market is rapidly growing.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
In 2020, the top leather producing countries<\/span><\/a> are China (25%), Brazil (9.5%), Russia(7%) and India(6.4%)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nThe big picture.<\/span><\/h3>\nToday\u2019s post explores a topic which is quite complicated. Is leather sustainable? If you scroll Instagram, there are many brands promoting ethical and sustainable leather shoes. How is this possible? Leather is derived from animal hides, primarily cow, but also calf, buffalo, and exotic animals such as crocodile, snake, and deer. The hides are processed using a variety of chemicals to ultimately produce the versatile material which has been a timeless part of our culture and is increasingly a status symbol. Maybe it\u2019s time to examine our relationship with leather and gain a deeper understanding of how it impacts us, others, and the environment.<\/p>\n
In order to evaluate this topic, using our kindhub lens, we will split the discussion into leather sourcing (growing the animal) and leather processing (making it suitable to make into leather goods).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n\n >
\n \u201c<\/span>The EPA has confirmed that factory farms account for 70 percent of the water pollution in the U.S. By some estimates, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gases than all of the world\u2019s transportation systems combined.\u201d<\/span>
\n <\/blockquote>— PeTA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
\nLeather Sourcing (growing the animal):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nProducing over 1 Billion cow, goat and sheep hides per year is energy intensive. <\/p>\n
Cows are among the most energy intensive animals to raise, requiring 2,500 gallons<\/span><\/a> of water, 12 pounds of grain, 35 pounds of topsoil, and the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline to produce one pound of beef. <\/p>\nCattle ranching has destroyed more <\/span><\/a>Central American Rainforest<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/a>than any other activity, accounting for 80%<\/span><\/a> of deforested land in the Amazon<\/p>\nIn addition, fecal contamination<\/span><\/a> of streams and irrigation water from cattle feedlots has been linked to many of the E.Coli outbreaks that have sickened and killed Americans over the years<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Cows\"](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/396_image-asset.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
\nLeather as an animal product undebatable, but there is debate on whether it is a co-product or byproduct of animal agriculture. Leather advocates claim that it is a by-product<\/span><\/a> whereas many animal rights and environmental group argue that it is a co-product<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\nLet\u2019s define<\/span><\/a> each of them:<\/p>\n\n\n- \n
Co-products <\/strong>are desirable secondary goods that are generated during the manufacturing process and can be sold or reused profitably.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
By-products<\/strong> are materials of value that are produced as a residual of, or incidental to, the production process.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\nBased on this, it is safe to say that leather is a co-product NOT a byproduct<\/span><\/a> of the cattle industry. There is significant profit in leather production and goods as evidenced by the $420B industry that is growing at a rate faster than healthcare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nLeather Processing (making into leather goods):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nThere are several steps<\/span><\/a> in this process and each uses a variety of strong chemicals<\/p>\n\n\n- \n
Pre-tanning – Acids and bases are used to remove animal hair and prepare for tanning<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Tanning – Chromium salts and other chemicals are used to convert hides into stable leather<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Dyeing – Acidic and alkaline dyes are used to color the leather<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Finishing – Fat liquors, waxes\/resins, and pigments are used to create a finished product<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
According to the EPA<\/span><\/a>, the leather industry produces 600 million tons of waste annually.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
It is estimated that the wastewater from leather tanning contains<\/span><\/a> around 300\u2013400 million tons of heavy metals, toxic sludge<\/a>, and many solvents resulting in water and soil pollution<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
Leather processing is water and energy intensive.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
The chemicals used release volatile organic compounds (VOC) which pollute the environment.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The process is wasteful<\/span><\/a>. Out of 1000 kg of raw hide, only 150 Kg of the raw material is converted into leather. The rest is wasted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Leather](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/leathertanning.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>\n\nCalf leather being tanned.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Leather](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/345491.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\nWaste water being released.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\nMany of the chemicals such as formaldehyde, chromium and azo dyes are considered toxic chemicals and are carcinogenic. In addition, most leather imported into the USA are produced in China, Brazil and India which have very lax labor and environmental laws.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Tannery workers and their communities suffer from high cancer rates. In China<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/a>and India<\/span><\/a>, this affects large cities and towns resulting in the term, \u201ccancer villages\u201d <\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
This study<\/span><\/a> in Kanpur, India (large tanning village with 20,000 tanning workers) showed that they had a 2X risk of dying and almost 20% more chance of respiratory issues compared to the control population<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
S<\/span><\/a>ean Gallagher<\/span>,<\/a> a National Geographic photographer captures the devastation on this town in the video<\/span><\/a> shown below.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
The leather industry is big business<\/span><\/a>, valued at approximately $420B in 2022 (this is approximately the same value as Bitcoin) and growing at over 5% annually.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n North America contributes to over 37% of the global market while Asia is the fastest growing region.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Currently, footwear is 44% of the market and the most rapid growth is in luxury leather goods along with the automotive industry.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Premium leather is an important driver of this growth. Luxury leather goods such as handbags have become aspirational items, and as disposable income of people across the globe increases, this market is rapidly growing.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n In 2020, the top leather producing countries<\/span><\/a> are China (25%), Brazil (9.5%), Russia(7%) and India(6.4%)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n Today\u2019s post explores a topic which is quite complicated. Is leather sustainable? If you scroll Instagram, there are many brands promoting ethical and sustainable leather shoes. How is this possible? Leather is derived from animal hides, primarily cow, but also calf, buffalo, and exotic animals such as crocodile, snake, and deer. The hides are processed using a variety of chemicals to ultimately produce the versatile material which has been a timeless part of our culture and is increasingly a status symbol. Maybe it\u2019s time to examine our relationship with leather and gain a deeper understanding of how it impacts us, others, and the environment.<\/p>\n In order to evaluate this topic, using our kindhub lens, we will split the discussion into leather sourcing (growing the animal) and leather processing (making it suitable to make into leather goods).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Leather Sourcing (growing the animal):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Producing over 1 Billion cow, goat and sheep hides per year is energy intensive. <\/p>\n Cows are among the most energy intensive animals to raise, requiring 2,500 gallons<\/span><\/a> of water, 12 pounds of grain, 35 pounds of topsoil, and the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline to produce one pound of beef. <\/p>\n Cattle ranching has destroyed more <\/span><\/a>Central American Rainforest<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/a>than any other activity, accounting for 80%<\/span><\/a> of deforested land in the Amazon<\/p>\n In addition, fecal contamination<\/span><\/a> of streams and irrigation water from cattle feedlots has been linked to many of the E.Coli outbreaks that have sickened and killed Americans over the years<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Leather as an animal product undebatable, but there is debate on whether it is a co-product or byproduct of animal agriculture. Leather advocates claim that it is a by-product<\/span><\/a> whereas many animal rights and environmental group argue that it is a co-product<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s define<\/span><\/a> each of them:<\/p>\n Co-products <\/strong>are desirable secondary goods that are generated during the manufacturing process and can be sold or reused profitably.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n By-products<\/strong> are materials of value that are produced as a residual of, or incidental to, the production process.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n Based on this, it is safe to say that leather is a co-product NOT a byproduct<\/span><\/a> of the cattle industry. There is significant profit in leather production and goods as evidenced by the $420B industry that is growing at a rate faster than healthcare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Leather Processing (making into leather goods):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n There are several steps<\/span><\/a> in this process and each uses a variety of strong chemicals<\/p>\n Pre-tanning – Acids and bases are used to remove animal hair and prepare for tanning<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Tanning – Chromium salts and other chemicals are used to convert hides into stable leather<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Dyeing – Acidic and alkaline dyes are used to color the leather<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Finishing – Fat liquors, waxes\/resins, and pigments are used to create a finished product<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n According to the EPA<\/span><\/a>, the leather industry produces 600 million tons of waste annually.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n It is estimated that the wastewater from leather tanning contains<\/span><\/a> around 300\u2013400 million tons of heavy metals, toxic sludge<\/a>, and many solvents resulting in water and soil pollution<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Leather processing is water and energy intensive.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The chemicals used release volatile organic compounds (VOC) which pollute the environment.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The process is wasteful<\/span><\/a>. Out of 1000 kg of raw hide, only 150 Kg of the raw material is converted into leather. The rest is wasted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> Calf leather being tanned.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Waste water being released.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Many of the chemicals such as formaldehyde, chromium and azo dyes are considered toxic chemicals and are carcinogenic. In addition, most leather imported into the USA are produced in China, Brazil and India which have very lax labor and environmental laws.<\/p>\n Tannery workers and their communities suffer from high cancer rates. In China<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/a>and India<\/span><\/a>, this affects large cities and towns resulting in the term, \u201ccancer villages\u201d <\/p>\n<\/li>\n This study<\/span><\/a> in Kanpur, India (large tanning village with 20,000 tanning workers) showed that they had a 2X risk of dying and almost 20% more chance of respiratory issues compared to the control population<\/p>\n<\/li>\n S<\/span><\/a>ean Gallagher<\/span>,<\/a> a National Geographic photographer captures the devastation on this town in the video<\/span><\/a> shown below.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe big picture.<\/span><\/h3>\n
>
\n \u201c<\/span>The EPA has confirmed that factory farms account for 70 percent of the water pollution in the U.S. By some estimates, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gases than all of the world\u2019s transportation systems combined.\u201d<\/span>
\n <\/blockquote><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\n\n
\n
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n