Vegan Leather is PLASTIC

If it doesn’t say “MADE FROM APPLE SKINS!!” or “CACTUS LEATHER!!” Then it’s made from the very fossil fuel that is killing Earth faster than ANY OTHER DEMON ON THIS WILD PLANET.

Literally.

Name something worse for the planet, biosphere, all creatures than OIL.

Whether it’s burned in industry, transport, or converted to plastic that doesn’t break down for A THOUSAND YEARS—it’s cooking Earth from all directions and fast. If you think plastic is EVER a VEGAN option,  you are poorly mistaken comrade. Plastic chokes hundreds of thousands of innocent animals a year for its thousand year life span. If it’s not a durable hard plastic, then it’s one of these soft plastics we see used for single use plastics—these break UP (not down) into millions of microscopic pieces that end up in our water ways and in our bodies, wreaking havoc at a cellular level that we can barely even comprehend, but scientists have been studying and IT IS FAR FROM OKAY. U don’t want this stuff ANY WHERE NEAR YOU, your babies, or your fur babies. Do not delude yourself. PLASTIC WILL NEVER EVER BE VEGAN. It is killing us all slowly. Including all your animal friends.

Do your research to ensure that the things you buy claiming to be vegan are PLANT BASED!!!!! Not just capitalizing on the ideological trend MAKES ME SICK to think of all the crap that’s been SOLD on this ethics-washed pretense that they are saving ANIMALS. The bullshit storms are powerful, buckle up & if you’re not sure about a brand, tag them here and let’s figure it out together.

We can navigate the ethical posturing together, but be MORE skeptical my fam. Ask more questions. Demand more transparency. Buy less. Recycle more. And don’t be afraid to stand in your power demanding BETTER form big business, they have the budget, you’ve got the voice. Building the new systems brick by brick, email by email, convo by convo, purchase by conscious intentional researched purchase. 

Buuut – here to the good news friends.

Since vegan leather (as long as it’s plant based and safe for you and mumma earth) is a great idea, here are a few companies that are supplying the goods:

Australian brand https://veganleatherco.com/ create their leather goods from Cactus & Pineapple leather and are a truly fantastic company that is worth supporting!

Will’s Vegan Store https://www.wills-vegan-store.com/  is still not 100 % perfect in the plastic-free department but I find them to be worth mentioning. Their production is based in Europe and they have come a long way since their establishment in 2013.  Most of their footwear and accessories is made from plants (cereal crops) but their bio based vegan leather contains 31 % polyurethane so it is not biodegradable. For their clothing they use recycled materials and have even introduced completely biodegradable sneakers in 2020. Their packaging is plastic free and you can even send them back the products you have bought from them after use and they will recycle those into something new. They are not perfect yet, but working on continually bettering themselves!

Ananas Anam https://www.ananas-anam.com/ is a for-profit company with a positive social impact and a low environmental impact. They use the innovative material Piñatex® which is made from the leaves of the pineapple plant, the byproduct of the fruit industry, which are traditionally discarded or burned and this company is definitely worth checking out and is really setting an incomparable example in the industry!

Samara https://samarabags.com/  is yet another imperfect brand that is working towards becoming as eco-friendly as they can. Some of their products are still made from PU but you can shop a wide range of 100 % plant-based products from which are made from apple leather. They also use castor seeds and bamboo in their production and have created products made from recycled ocean plastic and recycled plastic bottles! If you choose to support them make sure that you are buying the 100 % plant based products and products made from recycled plastic and let them know that you supporting their most sustainable options to encourage them to push those innovations and eventually phase out all virgin plastic! Companies react to your opinions and it is also important to acknowledge those who are making the honest effort!