Leather Ethics for Shoppers: The Main Questions and What You Can Check

Leather ethics comes down to four questions: the animal it came from, the people who tanned it, the chemicals used, and whether the seller's claims are honest. No single label answers all four. The main tannery certificate, for example, rates the tannery, not the product.

What you can do is read labels for what they really say, ask for specifics, and choose how much you buy and how long you keep it. This page is part of our hub on leather properties and uses.

The four questions at a glance

Do animals die for leather?

Yes. Leather is tanned animal hide or skin, most often from cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. Cattle hides are about 65% of leather produced, sheep about 13%, goats about 11% and pigs about 10%.

Where people disagree is on cause and effect:

• The by-product view. A 1998 FAO paper says hides and skins are mainly by-products of the meat industry, so their supply barely responds to demand for leather. The Leather Working Group, an industry body, says this covers 99% of the world's leather.
• The co-product view. Veganuary, an advocacy group, says leather is a profitable trade in its own right. It says ostrich skin is worth four times the meat, without giving a source.

Both sides accept that an animal died. They disagree about whether buying leather adds to that. If any use of animals rules leather out for you, our guide to alternatives to leather and their trade-offs is the next read.

Exotic skins raise a separate question. International trade in species listed under CITES needs permits, and commercial trade in wild-caught specimens of the most endangered species is not allowed. With crocodile, snake or other exotic leather, ask the seller about the CITES paperwork before you buy.

Tannery workers and chemicals

The best-known case is from 2012. Human Rights Watch found about 150 tanneries in Hazaribagh, Bangladesh, that released 21,600 cubic meters (about 5.7 million gallons) of untreated effluent a day, by the government's figure. Workers as young as 11 fell ill from chemical exposure. That report describes one place at one time, not tanning everywhere today.

Most leather today is chrome-tanned. The chromium used, chromium III, can oxidize into chromium VI, which can trigger skin allergies. Since 1 May 2015, the EU has banned leather items that touch the skin if they contain 3 mg/kg or more of chromium VI.

The deeper sourcing questions (tannery audits, deforestation, traceability to the slaughterhouse) are covered in detail by our sister site leatherguru.org.

What labels and claims can and can't tell you

• "Vegetable-tanned" is about the tanning agent, not the animal. Veg-tan leather is real animal leather; the word "vegetable" doesn't mean vegan. More in vegetable-tanned leather.
• "Genuine leather" is not a grade. It often means heavily processed split leather. See what "genuine leather" means.
• "Not leather" must be said. In the US, material that looks like leather but isn't should be disclosed with words like "Imitation leather" or "Vinyl".
• A tannery logo is not a product rating. The Leather Working Group certifies the facility that made the leather. A brand may put the logo on a product only if all its leather came from certified tanneries.
• Vague green words are a warning sign. EU law now treats claims such as "eco-friendly", "green" or "biodegradable" as banned unless they rest on recognized, proven performance. A claim that names a specific tannery, test or certificate tells you more than an adjective.

Choices in your hands

1. Know the animal. Pick sellers that name the hide. Leather Collection men's leather jackets, for example, name the leather on every product page.
2. Ask where it was tanned and made. A seller who can answer is easier to judge than one who can't.
3. Consider secondhand. It uses an item that already exists. Note that secondhand pieces already in use in the EU before May 2015 fall outside the chromium VI rule. Our page on secondhand leather covers smells to check for.
4. Keep it in use. Care and repair extend an item's life. Our sister sites cover basic leather care and restoring old leather clothing.
5. Weigh faux leather honestly. PVC faux leather needs a phthalate plasticizer, and in landfill it doesn't break down the way leather does. Compare both in faux leather vs real leather.

FAQ

Can leather ever be ethical?

That depends on which of the four questions matters most to you. Leather always involves an animal's death. Beyond that, the tannery, the workers and the honesty of the claims vary from item to item.

Can you get ethically sourced leather?

You can get leather whose source you can check. Ask for the species, the tannery and the country it was tanned in. A tannery certificate covers the facility that made the leather, not the product.

What are some ethical leather brands?

We don't rank brands as ethical. Brand claims are hard for a shopper to verify, and generic green wording is now banned in the EU. Use the label checks above on any brand.