Leather has been used for thousands of years for clothing, footwear, furniture and accessories. It is highly valued for its durability, flexibility and aesthetic appeal. The use of leather often raises ethical concerns for many people who care about animal welfare, environmental impacts and human rights.
Animal Welfare
One of the main ethical issues with leather is the killing of animals. Leather is made from many different types of animals, however primarily commercial leather will come from cows, sheep, goats, pigs, snakes, alligators, ostriches, kangaroos and horses. Many of these animals were raised to be slaughters primarily for their meat, while some others are slaughtered exclusively for their skins. In Australia, and many other countries, the majority of production of leather comes from meat by-product, meaning that the leather is from an animal who was bred to be slaughtered for its meat and therefore the skin would be wasted if not used by the leather industry. By doing this there is a significant reduction in the number of animals bred purely for their skin.
Environmental Impacts
Another ethical issue with leather is that it can have a negative impact on the environment. The tanning process, which transforms animal skins into leather, can use a lot of toxic chemicals, such as chrome, arsenic, and ammonium salts. These chemicals can pollute water sources, soil, and air, harming ecosystems and human health. Alternative, and more traditional, methods of tanning leather use natural materials such as tree bark to make the skins into leather.
Human Rights
Finally, some leather producing countries, conduct unsafe business practices that affect workers health and/or wellbeing. Most of the leather produced today comes from developing countries like India and China, where labour laws and safety standards are often poor or non-existent. Leather workers are exposed to hazardous chemicals and materials that can cause skin diseases, respiratory problems, cancer, and other illnesses. They also face low wages, long hours, poor working conditions, and exploitation by middlemen and buyers. In Australia and most developed countries the working conditions are much better and processes and safety mechanisms are in place to ensure the health and safety of workers.
Using Leather Ethically
One option is to choose ethical leather that is sourced from animals that are treated humanely and not killed for their skins. Ethical leather also uses natural or organic tanning methods that do not involve harmful chemicals or waste. Some examples of ethical leather are vegetable-tanned leather (using plant extracts), chrome-free leather (using synthetic tanning agents), organic leather (using certified organic animal skins), recycled leather (using leftover scraps or old products), and lab-grown leather (using cultured animal cells).
The Final Decision?
Ultimately, it is up to each person to decide if they feel leather use is ethical, if the leather products they are using are made ethically or if they want to seek non-leather alternatives.
At Gargoyle Workshop we source our leathers from reputable producers who employ responsible safety measures to protect their employees and the environment. Our leathers generally are sourced from Australia, the United States and Italy and include both Veg-Tanned and Chrome-Tanned options. If you require a specific type of leather, or manufacturing process then feel free to get in touch with us and we will try our best to meet your needs.
