Why would you call something “plant based” when it uses a lot of plastic which after short time degrades and exposes it to the environment?
I do hobby-level leatherworking and I’m all here for real non-animal leathers but yeah, basically all of them, cactus, mango, pineapple leaf etc. all just get put on a PU backing…
I got excited for cork leather at one point but turns out that is also either PU backed or fabric backed (which is better but doesn’t really work as a direct replacement for leather, especially structurally).
There are a few I’m more excited for and I would love to get hold of but they still seem either experimental or used directly by the makers for their own finished products. Most are fungus based, so one is SCOBY leather, basically the big blob of microorganisms used to make kombucha can be grown in big flat sheets, dried and treated to make a leathery material but I’ve not seen many applications of it yet…
But mushroom/mycelial leather is the one I’m most hopeful for. Not only do some of them look like real leather but the random ‘grain’ of the mycelium has the potential to ape the natural fibrous grain of leather that gives it its strength. That is the one I’m really excited for.
That was interesting AF, actually. I’m hyped for shroom leather!
I thought the point of the stuff was to avoid killing animals.
Yes. Plastic is actually a great material for anything you don’t want to break down.
If you want something that doesn’t break down until you want it to, and then breaks down, you might be asking too much. I’m not even sure animal leather qualifies after the chemical tanning process.
Yeah I’ve had it with Will’s Vegan Shoes. They use https://www.viridis-leather.it/faq.html and say it’s “bio-based leather” but if you go to the link:
Is it recycled, recyclable or biodegradable?
No, it’s not but it expresses its sustainable content because it’s mainly produced using by-products from corn and wheat instead of petrolium based products. Bio polyols always available as renewable resources.
Which type of PU is Viridis® made of?
43 % of PU made using polyols coming from corn and wheat, 31 % of normal PU.
It’s almost as if another common term for vegan leather is PU Leather
Cause they know fools love buzzz words. That’s why I couldn’t find margarine until I realized it’s now “plant butter”
I think everything labeled “plant butter” is vegan, whereas “margarine” can contain both plant and animal fats. I don’t think that’s regulated, but I think that’s how those terms are used in practice. I always check the labels just to be sure, of course.
I see the point of plant based leather not as necessarily being great now, but as demonstrating that there is demand for R & D to make a product that can meet or surpass the quality of leather later.
YSK: Cellulose can be made extremely durable and water resistent. The wallet I’ve been using for a decade now is made of cellulose. The stitching was kinda bad from the start, so I’ve had to repair it once. But the material itself is still holding stong. And it feels nice and is very grippy.
“TreeLeather” or something like that, was 1 brand of the cellulose “leather” stuff…
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Because it is made from plant based materials? Like some LEGO parts are nowadays made from plant based materials.
Plants -> Ethanol -> Plastic
Polyurethane is made by (among other steps) mixing paint thinner and phosgene gas. It’s a nasty dangerous process.
The only time plants are involved is when they mix in some fiber pulp at the end.
Plant based plastics exist, but they are not polyurethane.
I can’t stress enough how much heavy lifting the phrase “among other steps” is doing here.
Ah, OK. TIL.
Vegetan Bucky basicly a micro fiber
No hate, but leather and pb leather is gross to us idk how people like it. The texture is eugh
As a vegan I avoid this by not using things that look like leather. I prefer cotton and linen clothing.
Yeah, the simplest answer is to just skip the leather look rather than going with a bunch of plastic junk.
If you still want to, I would consider cork and waxed canvas to be reasonable options. Waxed canvas in particular is quite a durable material, so it can be a good choice for bags and jackets.
i was gonna say “what about pineapple leather” but yeah nope, it’s got PLA in it…
PLA is poly lactic acid, from corn.
But… Isn’t actual leather plant based?
Cow eats grass. Cow grows from eating grass. Cow ded. Make leather from cow.
From grass to cow to leather. Leather is made of grass. Leather is plant based.
You’re right, and that’s why I only eat plant based meat, like chicken and cow.
are you taking the piss or being serious?
obvious troll is obvious lol
He forgot the part where grass is grown on soil made of decomposed cow, making grass a meat-based product.
Ah! Right! Leather is even 100% recycled. I’m sure very few things can claim to be 100% recycled.
That’s actually not true, since some leather products are so cool that they’ll be forever out of the cycle. Like Fonzie’s jacket.
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Where do you think fossil fuels come from?
I guess petroleum came from plant.
