Hide and chic: are clothes and apparel made from alternative leathers better for the environment?

The Guardian Environment Saturday 12 September 2026, 00:00 UTC By Lucianne Tonti 1 min read

Key Points

Vegan leathers are complicated by questions of commercial viability and sustainability. How do they compare to traditional leather? Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprintGot a question or tip for reducing household emissions?

Vegan leathers are complicated by questions of commercial viability and sustainability. How do they compare to traditional leather?

Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint
Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at [email protected]

In sustainable fashion, breathless promises about vegan leather have arrived thick and fast for over a decade. Innovations promise mushroom and cactus alternatives that look and feel like real leather – minus the negative associations with methane, deforestation, chemical pollution and animal welfare.

While these next-gen materials have absorbed billions of dollars in capital under an environmental banner, experts are concerned they remain a shiny distraction while the fashion industry’s emissions and reliance on fossil fuel-derived materials grows.

Originally published by The Guardian Environment Read original →

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