What Is Vegan Leather? The Difference Between Faux Leather, Pinatex & Pleather
Faux leather is a leather alternative made from plant-based or synthetic materials instead of from the skin of dead animals.
Traditional leather is extremely harmful to the environment (it takes huge amounts of water to produce and comes with a massive carbon footprint), harmful to the animals (who suffer tremendously before they are brutally slaughtered) and harmful to the people who produce it (who have a heightened risk of cancers and other illnesses due to working with toxic chemical in leather tanneries).
That’s why every day more and more people are choosing next-gen, eco-friendly and animal-free alternatives to leather.
What is vegan leather made of?
Vegan leather can be made from either synthetic or plant-based materials. Synthetic leather alternatives include polyurethane and PVC while plant-based leathers can be made from a variety of materials. One example is Pinatex, a vegan leather alternative made from pineapple leaves.
What is PU leather?
Polyurethane leather (also known as PU leather or pleather) is a synthetic animal-free alternative to leather. In the past, PVC was commonly used as a leather alternative, but because of it’s harmful environmental impact, most vegan companies now use Eco-PU leather.
Eco-PU leather has less than half the environmental impact of traditional leather and is a much more sustainable product (not to mention the fact that no animal has to die for it!)
That’s why we sustainably source our vegan leather bags, vegan belts and vegan wallets from suppliers like La Enviro who use only the highest quality and most environmentally friendly vegan PU leather in their products.
What is Pinatex?
Pinatex is a plant-based leather alternative made from the excess pineapple leaves from the food industry. Because these leaves are a by-product of an existing industry, they require no additional resources to produce while also offering an additional income stream to hardworking farmers. We stock a range of vegan watches from La Enviro that are built with straps made from Pinatex.
Where to find the best and most ethical vegan, cruelty-free and eco-friendly products
At Five Vegans we take care to ensure that all of our products are 100% vegan, cruelty-free and as sustainable as possible. We are 100% vegan owned and operated. At Five Vegans we believe a vegan world is possible and we will do our best to make this dream a reality.