Organic Leather

Conventional Leather

Avoid conventional leather involves toxic dyes, glues, and polluting materials. They are made with toxic tanning process and synthetic materials or other petroleum-derived materials. 

 

❌ Toxic leather: conventional leather tanning may contain chromium, arsenic, and other chemicals that pollute the environment and water supplies.

❌ Chrome Tanned Leather: 90% of leather is chrome tanned. Chrome tanning is a widely used method in the leather industry, involving the treatment of animal hides with chromium salts, primarily chromium(III) sulfate. Toxic wastewater from tanneries can contaminate local ecosystems. It can lead to toxic chromium (VI) formation, which is harmful to humans and the environment.

❌ PFAS: they contain toxic PFAS that are not only harmful to you but also to the environment. They are found especially in waterproof footwear  

​Greenwashing Leather

Avoid Greenwashing leather made by brands that pretend to be sustainable, eco-friendly, and claim to be made with safer materials when they are not. They will use misleading marketing claims to convince you to buy their products. 

Many came with vegan leather alternatives, bringing more plastic to the world:

 

❌ PVC: Most vegan leathers today are made from PVC, made with petroleum. PVC is, for this reason, harmful to the environment. 

❌ PU is another synthetic vegan or faux leather. By definition, PU stands for Polyurethane, a plastic polymer derived from petroleum. Even less than PVC, PU still requires petroleum. .  

Sustainable Leather

The best leather is made with natural and sustainable leather, even better with regenerative organic leather. 

The most eco-friendly leather on the market is chromium-free, made with renewable resources under third party certifications.

 

Certifications 

  • Certified non-toxic leather: tested to be chromium-free; naturally tanned with vegetable tanning. Certified by The Leather Working Group (LWG): transparency in the leather supply chain, saving energy, water, worker health and safety, safe chemical practices, and wastewater management. 
  • ✅ USDA Certified Biobased: This certification ensures that the brands are reducing their reliance on petroleum, increasing their use of renewable agricultural resources, and contributing to reducing adverse environmental impacts.
  • ✅ Recycled materials: 100% of this sneaker’s lining is recycled polyester. It also has a sole made with recycled rubber.

Leather Working Group logo

​The Best Organic Leather Brands

  • 🌿 O My Bag
  • 🌿 Koio
  • 🌿 Origo  10% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL. It makes chrome-free vegetable-dyed leather shoes

 

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