Why is high-quality genuine leather the best material for our products? Sustainable genuine leather vs vegan leather vs artificial leather

At Snekkerbuks, our business model is based on sustainability and circular economy practices. Our goal is to offer our customers products with the smallest possible ecological footprint. How do we do that?

In this article, we address some frequently asked questions about our most important material: sustainable leather. What makes leather 'sustainable', how do we ensure quality through leather certificates, and why is sustainably produced real leather a more suitable material for our products than vegan leather? 

Overview:

1. Leather is durable and timeless

2. Leather is easy to recycle

3. Leather is a renewable resource and 100% biodegradable

4. The comparison: real leather vs. vegan leather vs. artificial leather

5. Sustainable leather production and certification

6. Transparency about materials and production

1. leather is durable and timeless 

Leather products are generally more durable than their synthetic and vegan alternatives. High-quality leather parts are also water and dirt repellent - they can withstand years of intensive use. This makes them the ideal material for our children's lederhosen andbackpackswhich are designed to last a lifetime. Leather even becomes more beautiful over time: it acquires a patina, the colors become richer and deeper and the fabric softer. However, it is important to take good care of leather products, as described in our Tips for leather care is explained.

Longevity saves resources, because the longer a product lasts, the less it has to be reproduced and purchased. 

At the same time, unlike other fabrics, leather is always in: leather goods have a timeless appeal and are less susceptible to short-term fashion trends compared to other fabrics. Another reason to buy fewer replacements!

2. leather can be easily repaired and recycled

If a product does break, leather can be easily repaired and endlessly recycled. Old leather bags become new ones, rucksacks become laptop bags... there are no limits to creativity and the material remains in circulation for even longer this way. 

3. leather is a renewable resource and 100% biodegradable

Sustainable leather is made from animal skins, which are a by-product of meat production. It can therefore be described as a renewable material, while vegan leather alternatives such as pineapple leather (Piñatex), apple leather, mushroom leather (Mykotex) and cactus leather (Desserto) are largely made from synthetic binders and coatings based on polyurethane (PU). Polyurethane is a petroleum product and is therefore non-renewable.

When a leather product is finally disposed of, it is completely biodegradable, unlike synthetic materials. As an organic product, it simply decomposes over time and does not contribute to the problem of microplastic pollution. 

Of course, the same standard applies to leather as an animal product as to beef, for example: while conventional cattle farming is unhealthy for animals, the soil and the climate, cattle farming based on the principles of regenerative agriculture can contribute to soil health and ecological sustainability. 

4. real leather vs. artificial leather vs. vegan leather alternatives

Many people are now opting for vegan or artificial leather products, as these appear to be the more sustainable option at first glance. As already mentioned, this is not necessarily the case: artificial leather is made from PVC films and is therefore made of plastic. Vegan leather alternatives are artificial leather materials that are partly made from bio-based raw materials such as mushrooms, leaves, pineapple or cactus. But only partly: a large proportion is still plastic, which is non-renewable and biodegradable. In addition, the innovation around vegan leather alternatives is still in a testing and experimental phase. This means that most of these alternatives do not reliably possess all the properties that make leather such an ideal material for our products: durable, robust, water-repellent and recyclable. 

We are therefore convinced that high-quality, sustainably and fairly produced genuine leather is and remains the perfect material for our products. 

5. sustainable leather production and certification

Sustainable leather production, without toxic chemicals and exploitative production chains, is extremely important to us. We only use high-quality, robust cowhide from responsible, certified production. Our leather comes from German leather traders who have been awarded the Gold Standard certification of the Leather Working Group (LWG), the most important sustainability standard for leather production.

In addition, our leathers comply with the European REACH regulations (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals), which exclude the use of toxic chemicals in the tanning process. This enables us to ensure that the regulations for the protection of the environment and human health in the production chain are complied with. Our own leathers are partly vegetable-derived and partly mineral-derived.

6. transparency about materials and production

Caution: Ninety percent of the leather produced worldwide does not come from sustainable production. Even leather products with the "genuine leather" certificate are in most cases produced under miserable working and environmental conditions such as child labor and the use of harmful and often toxic substances in Bangladesh, India or China. Therefore, always pay attention to transparency when buying leather: where does the leather itself (the raw material) come from, where and how was it tanned? This information is often not visible to consumers, especially if the product was not produced in a responsible manner. In the case of sustainable leather products, the origin is usually explained in detail on the label .

You will also find information on all the different materials on our products, so that full transparency is guaranteed. This applies not only to the leather used, but also to the manufacture of our products: Fair-made in Amsterdam, in our own atelier.