Why YSK: The term “Genuine Leather” is a marketing term to sell the lowest quality leather possible.
When purchasing a leather product, look for full grain leather or top grain leather instead. These will provide a much higher quality cut of leather that will look and feel much better and last for much longer.
Leather is murder anyways.
It has its place.
For example, leather in second hand products it’s great because it’s durable and often high quality. And, whatever you do, the animal has already been killed and paid for.
I would also buy leather products if it’s for something that I intend to use for many years. It sort of offsets the environmental damage from buying multiple synthetic products.
Then again, I’m not vegan.
In the right context, leather goods are much more durable and sustainable than synthetic alternatives. That said, leather is a co-product of the meat and dairy industry which is currently ridiculously unsustainable. Leather for leathers sake in designer goods and such is ridiculous.
Leather production is terrible for the environment, a shit ton of chemicals used.
Agreed. I don’t purchase leather anymore but when I did I still knew genuine leather is pretty much junk.
Murder is killing a human.
Killing a cow is just part of eating.
You didn’t need to kill the cow to eat, you chose to kill something that didn’t want to die for the fleeting taste of it’s dead body on your tongue
This is why I keep my animals alive and slice off bits as I need them.
This here is my cow, Limpy…
True, I really do like the way cows taste. 😋
It is still not murder though.
Wonder what the people who are downvoting this are thinking. Is it not murder, or is it only a restproduct of murder?
I think it’s because it’s irrelevant for someone who would be interested in leather (and this YSK). I’m sure they’re well aware of where leather comes from. I will say, though, that if cows are getting murdered for food, then they might as well use the whole animal instead of letting it go to waste.
They killed for their skins. It’s not a “by-product” which would be thrown away otherwise
https://twitter.com/matthewhayek/status/1646145797698756610?t=AL_msrN0woNtB7gqF_pv7A&s=19
Perhaps the leather is as/more profitable, but the beef is still being eaten. Kind of misleading to state that Brazil barely exports that beef to the US when there are many other markets that it does export that beef to. It’s a distinction that I’m not sure is significant. As much of the cow is being used with little waste. As long as cows are getting killed for food as a “co-product” it’d still be a waste to throw out the leather (or the other way around).
I wonder what people who upvote this are thinking, obviously the point is moot unless you are also vegan. And who upvotes someone going “meat is murder” in the comment section.
I’m not vegan, but I do personally agree that it’s selfish and inhumane to eat meat and use leather - especially on an industrial scale. I eat meat, but I don’t have any delusions about where it comes from.
Not meaning to argue, but just to say it’s not only vegans that think about this stuff. Also, even if it was, that doesn’t mean they’re wrong or moot.
I think it’s the difference between vegan ethics and being a vegan in practice. I generally agree with vegan ethics, I think that meat and leather are generally made from murder. Perhaps a lesser version of murder than killing a human being, but murder nonetheless. However, animal products are common in both food and consumer goods and I don’t have the time or money to commit towards fully avoiding them. Like with the issue of many of our agricultural goods being the product of slavery, I believe that this is something that should moreso be curtailed by the state than any individual consumer.
This is my general philosophy. I try to be as ethical as I can, but I realize there will always be a certain level of “hypocrisy” in my actions.
Not murder, per definition.
I like to think myself open-minded, but I’m also a meat eater. It really is just a matter of self control and convenience. I know humans eating meat in most developed countries is completely unnecessary. I know farming methods are cruel and environmentally damaging. It’s just tough to shake off the habit of craving a nice chicken breast or steak, especially since I lean towards a very high protein a diet.
I’d go far enough to say it used to not be murder, but now we only kill animals for luxury.