Anna Hartz
Many shoppers see it as a simple upgrade, something that feels like real leather but avoids animal skins.
In fashion stores and luxury car showrooms, the label “vegan leather” often sounds like a clean and modern choice. It suggests style without animal products.
Over time, the word “vegan” has also come to signal something better for the environment. Brands use it to show responsibility and progress. But the reality behind the material is more complicated than the label suggests.
Bad marketing term
Vegan leather is not one single material. It covers many different products. Some are made from plastics. Others mix plant fibres with synthetic coatings. This variety is part of the problem, writes Videnskab. It makes it harder for consumers to understand what they are actually buying.
Authorities in several countries have started questioning these broad marketing claims. The concern is that the language sounds greener than the product really is.
Most vegan leather today is made from polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride. These are plastic-based materials linked to fossil fuels. They are flexible and easy to shape. They can also look very close to real leather. But they do not come from natural sources.
When these materials crack or peel, the damage is not only visual. They slowly break down and release microplastics into the environment. That creates a new type of pollution instead of solving an old one.
In recent years, companies have also introduced plant-based versions. These use materials from pineapples, apples, grapes, mushrooms, or cactus. The idea sounds more natural and more sustainable.
But plant-based does not automatically mean environmentally friendly. Many of these products still rely on plastic binders to hold the fibres together. Without them, the material would not be strong enough for everyday use.
This also creates another issue. Products made from mixed materials are often difficult to recycle. The plant part may sound natural, but the plastic layer underneath changes the final outcome.
Shorter life span
Durability is another weakness. Many vegan leather products wear out faster than traditional leather. Shoes, bags, and car seats made from these materials often struggle under long-term use.
Some products last only a couple of years before breaking down. Once the surface layer starts to crack, repair is usually not possible. The item is often thrown away instead.
Traditional leather also has environmental costs. It involves livestock emissions and chemical tanning processes. These issues are real and widely debated.
The key point is that “vegan” and “sustainable” are not the same thing. One describes what is removed from a product. The other describes how the product performs across its entire life.
When those ideas are treated as identical, the result can be misleading marketing. Real sustainability depends on durability, repair, and reuse. A product that fails quickly simply creates waste faster, no matter how it is labelled.
