What Are The Vegan Alternatives To Leather?
The production of leather has an increasingly harmful impact on the environment and animals, which is why many are looking for leather alternatives which they can use to lead a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle.
In recent years, the search to find alternatives to the cruel process of leather production has come on leaps and bounds. Thanks to innovative vegan leather products like these anyone can look good, whilst doing good for the planet!
We hope these forward-thinking examples of leather alternatives show just how amazing vegan.
Leather products can be and will help make cruelty-free manufacturing the new normal in the future. Here are 5 eco-friendly, innovative leather alternatives that will help the planet and keep your conscience clean at the same time.
Did you know, it uses approximately 8.41L of water and the carbon equivalent footprint of 3.32kg to make a single pair of leather shoes?
Not only that, but the chemicals used to tan leather are not biodegradable and contaminate local water supplies. Meanwhile, according to Stella McCartney, ‘over 50 million animals are killed every year just for [their] leather.’ Leather production is a particularly ecologically harmful and cruel process.
What are Leather Alternatives?
Teak Leaf
Dynamic and 100% vegan, teak leaf leather is a stunning alternative to leather. The teak leaves in teak leaf leather products have fallen naturally and been sustainably harvested. They are then dried and naturally dyed before being sealed with a thin non-toxic laminate to preserve the material and provide strength and durability.
Teak leaf leather products, like Jungley's standout wallets, gorgeous purses that are sure to elevate any night out outfit and luxury notebooks will have natural variations in colour, texture and pattern. No two leaves are the same after all! This means every teak leaf leather product is totally one-of-a-kind and special, matching the wearer’s personality.
Lotus Leaf
Super eco-friendly and sustainably made, lotus leaf leather truly is a window into the future of product manufacturing! Lotus leaf leather products are genuinely stunning and are guaranteed to turn heads with their beauty - your friends won’t believe it’s not leather!
Lotus leaf leather products, including Jungley’s strong and durable placemats and cute, ultra-high-quality coasters, are completely vegan and made from beautiful lotus leaves which have been dried, coloured with natural vegetable dye. The beauty of these natural materials is that each individual product will have organic quirks and unique designs, adding to their distinctive charm and individuality.
Upcycled Rubber
Waterproof and extremely durable, upcycled tyre products give a new lease on life to old and discarded car tyres and inner tubes. They’re already quite a leathery texture and are in abundant supply, but take a long time to break down in landfill sites. This makes it an amazing vegan alternative to leather, as not only will you be getting a standout product but you’ll be reducing wastage!
Often handmade by local crafting communities and featuring the original tyre markings - showing their distinctive history – each upcycled rubber product, from our practical and robust pencil cases to stylish accessory bags, is truly unique and helps the planet.
Cork Leather
If you are looking for the definitive eco-friendly alternative to leather, look no further than cork leather. It’s perfect for those wanting to live a more cruelty free, sustainable lifestyle, all whilst still being able to dress stylishly without the wastefulness of fast fashion. Did you know, these trees can survive centuries as the cork layer can be removed every 9 years in a regenerative process which allows the trees to regrow naturally.
One of the most ecologically friendly materials on the planet, cork leather is strong, water resistant and durable. Cork Leather Products, which include some absolutely standout wallets and ultra-sleek card holders, can be sustainably harvested from cork trees. They’re then dried and naturally soaked. With cork leather products you’re sure to find something amazing to suit your individual style.
Piñatex
Piñatex is a plant-based leather substitute, distinctive for being a natural and highly sustainable material made from the strong fibres of the long leaves on the top of pineapples. Piñatex is fully biodegradable and contains no harmful chemicals. Perfect for that eye-catching statement piece, which won’t harm the planet, it is also a breathable, strong and resilient material. What’s more it’s completely cruelty free and gives back to local farming communities, giving pineapples farmers an additional source of income from what otherwise would be a wasted by-product.
Piñatex is used to make products of the highest quality, including the straps of Elie Beaumont’s Vegan Watches, available now from Treat Republic. Handcrafted and elegant, these stunning watches represent the height of luxury and beauty, showing again how you don’t need to buy ecologically damaging products to look a million dollars!
We’d love to hear from you!
We hope we’ve opened your eyes to the vast and ever growing array of leather alternative products on offer at the moment. These are some of our favourite vegan alternatives to leather and is by no means an exhaustive list, if there are any more out there you want the world to stand up and take notice of, be sure to share it in the comments section below.
Here at Jungley our mission is to make a lasting positive impact on the planet. Thanks to our amazing partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects, we’re able to plant a tree for every item bought - so not only will you be giving a gift to your loved one, but to the planet too!
Interested in finding out more about the amazing alternatives to leather Jungley has to offer? Check out our stand out Upcycled Tyre Rubber and head turning Teak Leaf Leather collections.