The practice of turning animal skins into wearable goods dates back thousands of years. But until recently this global fashion industry largely followed a linear “take-make-waste” production model, with unsustainable tanning through finishing processes dependent on chromium salts and other polluting toxins, and requiring massive amounts of water. Today, as the industry edges slowly toward circular principles, traditional leather products are being forced to compete with all manner of synthetics (some fossil fuel-derived), and others biobased (derived from sources as diverse as cacti and bananas, but often requiring plastic additives to achieve traditional leather’s durability). No matter: leather in all its forms remains a growth industry. In 2023, it was valued at $460 billion globally, and expected to hit $700 billion in worth by 2030 as demand surges and the range of synthetic alternatives expands. Against this booming backdrop, critics argue that using skins provided by the global livestock industry is responsible for a litany of environmental supply chain problems, starting on ranches, moving through tanneries, and extending to leather’s end of life. Still, experts hold out hope that innovative circular solutions could create a far more sustainable traditional leather industry. Meanwhile, all manner of alternatives could lessen environmental harm, though these substitutes could come with their own cost, scaling, technical and environmental conundrums. Leather production occurs around the globe. Experts say that the industry is changing and improving its environmental standards. Managing massive amounts of leather waste is a huge challenge. “If you consider the end-of-life leather — that…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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