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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
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. .
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
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10% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL
💖O My Bag Organic Bags
These organic tote bags are made sustainably with the most eco-friendly material on the market.
Made with sustainable leather that is tanned without the use of harmful chemicals and has no synthetic top finish.
✅ 100% of their leather: tested to be chromium-free; naturally tanned with vegetable tanning. Gold' rating, 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.
🌿 100% Vegan Apple leather: bio-based material made from apple waste, produced in Italy (Frumat and Mabel Synthetic). A by-product that is turned from “waste” into a resource.
🌿100% Vegan bio-based leather: world’s first plastic-free, plant-based vegan leather, lower carbon, made from natural rubber, plant-based oil, natural pigments, and minerals. Water-resistant and 100% vegan.
🌿 Organic cotton lining: lining on the inside of our bags. GOTS-certified organic cotton backing. or 100% recycled cotton, certified by Global Recycle Standard (GRS)
MATERIAL: 100% Vegan from apple by-product, The Leather Working Group (LWG) non-toxic leather, bio-based leather
15% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL
💚Humble Suds Natural Wood and Leather Balm
This Wood and Leather Balm allows you to revive your wood and leather goods with organic ingredients.
You can restore and improve your wood and leather wares, organic furniture, wooden floor, and more!
Plus, it keeps your house free of dust and smelling beautiful. You can even use it to condition your organic cutting board and wooden utensils.
Infused with white grapefruit essential oil for an added cleaning boost. Safer ingredient you can eat.
Directions: Test a small area prior to full application. After testing, apply with a dry cloth in a circular motion. Wipe away excess. Not recommended for use on suede. Store at room temp.
INGREDIENTS: Organic cold expeller-pressed virgin coconut oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic raw beeswax, vegetable glycerin, grapefruit oil, and lemongrass oil.
💚Humble Suds Revive Yo' Boots Kit
This organic Revive Yo' Boots Kit includes everything you need to bring your boots and leather shoes back to life without toxic chemicals!
It is a Leather Conditioner that is included in a convenient 2 oz black stainless steel tin and can be applied with the soft cloth included.
The horsehair brush buffs shoes to a high shine without scratching the delicate leather.
They also provide a small muslin bag to store these items until your next shine.
🌿 Origo makes sustainable women's shoes, sustainable men's shoes, and sustainable kids' shoes
🌿 Origo Sustainable Shoes: The Men's Retro Sneaker
These non-toxic leather men's shoes are made with Natural Leather
Working Group certified: Certified by The Leather Working Group (LWG): the world’s largest leather sustainability program that trains companies on best practices to reduce their environmental impact.
Natural leather: comes from local tanneries that are environmentally friendly.
Chrome-free leather: non-toxic
Vegetable-Tanned Leather (The Gold Standard for Non-Toxic): It uses natural tannins derived from plant sources like tree bark (oak, chestnut), roots, and fruits.
Commitment to the planet: putting natural materials and sustainability first, and crafted by skilled artisans in León, Mexico.
MATERIAL: Natural leather
This organic boot kit revives your sustainable boots, natural leather shoes, leather men's shoes, and leather goods with organic ingredients.
It includes everything you need to bring your boots and leather shoes back to life without toxic chemicals!
It includes Revival Boot+Leather Conditioner in a 2 oz black stainless steel tin and can be applied with the soft cloth included.
The natural brush features natural horsehair to buff shoes naturally and add high shine without scratching the delicate leather. It also comes with a small muslin bag to store these items.
💖 Nisolo has reframed the meaning of sustainability for their shoes.
They embrace leather as one of the more sustainable options available for high-quality, durable footwear and accessories when it’s made and processed responsibly. If cowhides were not repurposed into leather, an estimated 33,000,000 would be added to landfills EVERY YEAR.
✅ The Leather Working Group (LWG) certfied: the world’s leading environmental certification for leather manufacturing. They conduct intensive audits of leather manufacturers and assess every aspect of their operations.
✅ B corp
They focus on the following 5 areas:
You can send them your worn and used shoes: they have collected and diverted 7,052 pairs of used shoes from landfills, averaging approximately 2,350 pairs per year.
MATERIAL: leather byproduct of the meat industry. Made in Mexico
🌱This sneaker is made from non-toxic leather that's Gold-certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG). They also offer a vegan leather versions!
💖Comfortable, ultra-durable, and sustainable
✅ LWG Gold-certified leather: it's responsibly tanned in a facility that safely and carefully manages emissions, energy and water consumption, and waste. ✅ FSC®-certified natural rubber: 50% of this sneaker’s sole is Forest Stewardship Council®-certified (FSC®) natural rubber. This certification ensures the rubber is sourced from a forest that’s responsibly managed to prevent deforestation. ✅ Recycled materials: 40% of this sneaker’s sole is recycled rubber. It also has an OrthoLite® Hybrid insole made with recycled foam and rubber from previous production processes.
MATERIAL: Lined with LWG-certified Italian leather (Cow), Set on a 100% rubber sole (50% natural, 40% recycled, 10% conventional). Threaded with waxed cotton laces. Fitted with a removable OrthoLite® Hybrid™ insole. Finished with hand-painted edges
MADE IN: Handmade in Tuscany, Italy. Designed in New York