Entermodal: Vegetable Tanned Luxury Leather

I've got this question for a long time.
Is Treehugger OK with leather product? Are they "healthy" because it's not made of oil?

Isn't animal a part of the environment we're commited to protect?

Isn't animal a part of the environment we're commited to protect?

Domesticated animals are not wild animals.

Isn't animal a part of the environment we're committed to protect?

is not a carrot part of the environment?
Is not a cucumber?

Slice that skin from the cow I say, Leather is a long lasting, strong, material.
Its cool in summer, easy to clean and is rather sexy (but not in that kinky way)

You can't get much greener than vegetable-tanned leather, though one could argue that the methane produced from cows adds to global warming. At least there is no waste when it comes to cows (if the manure is recycled), as every part is used.

The kind of leather most in use in the fashion and automotive industries is chrome-tanned, which uses chromium for tanning, and is usually painted with acrylic paints. I have to laugh when I see people put leather conditioner on their leather sofas or car seats, when all they are doing is rubbing the stuff on the surface paint. Veg tanned leather takes much longer to produce, and can't have as many imperfections as chrome-tanned because they can't be hidden with paint and removal, so it is more expensive.

Congratulations Larry, Holly and the rest of Team Entermodal! So great to see you featured on Treehugger - what a perfect fit!

I've seen these bags, and witnessed first hand the committment to sustainability that precedes every single decision made at this company. Honestly, I don't know if there is a fashion/garment company in the world that spends more time, money and effort on maintaining and promoting a sustainable business model. Entermodal has set the bar very, very, very high.

The idea that anything leather is environmentally responsible is ridiculous. Do any of you live next to animal processing plants? I live in a city where there are a number and let me tell you, the pollution that comes out of them is ridiculous.

Unless you can assure me that these cows were raised NOT in a factory farm, which is doubtful, its still wasteful. Yes, does buying vinyl goods use oil? Yes. But so does feeding and maintaining an army of cows only to skin them for their hides (its doubtful they would use the meat, as the things that produce good leather cows are not the same thing that produce good meat cows; more than likely the meat would be too fatty and only usable, at best, for ground beef or animal-grade pet food).

It's these kind of ridiculous entries that make me wonder about treehugger and the people on it; it's clear to me that the site is more concerned with good design than environmental credentials.

It's these kind of ridiculous entries that make me wonder about treehugger and the people on it; it's clear to me that the site is more concerned with good design than environmental credentials.

Vegans...

this is in response to the negative comments i read today about people stating that TREEHUGGERr is more interested in fashion/design than enviornment. Isn't TREEHUGGER about being enviornmentally responsible? Wouldn't you say that any step toward that is important? Wouldn't you say that anytime a company brings it to people's attention, and makes them think about the enviornment, that this is important? And didn't TREEHUGGER say "this isn't the place for doom and gloom" --- well maybe the writer should think about that. TREEHUGGER is a positive site to go to--a place to learn about how to be enviornmentally responsible. If there are new products out there that can help a person move towards being enviornmentally responsible, I want to see it here at TREEHUGGER! That includes ENTERMODAL products and ENTERMODAL's standards and policy. Thank you ENTERMODAL. AND--THANK YOU TREEHUGGER!

Leather hides are a byproduct of the beef industry. No one is raising cows for skins and letting the rest of the animal go to waist. The beef industry has an environmental impact as do all other textile/material production industries. Research the use of water, eneregy and soil depletion used in the production of organic cotton and bamboo. No material is yet truly sustainable. Let's focus on improving each and everyone with a close and informed look at all natural and social resources used to produce a product. Next have a look at the length of life each material should have, it's reusability, recyclabilty and it's ability to biodigrade with minimum impact.
Blanket statements based on assumptions don't help any cause.

the last entry was correct. Leather is a byproduct of the meat industry. A cow hide is like 3% of the value of a cow, the meat being about 90%. No one raises cows to slaughter for a $50 rawhide.

And what are the alternatives? Synthetics are made from oil. Cottons and fiber are good for many things, but also use oil and fertilizer to produce.

It's easy to sit on the sidelines and complain... there will always be some problem to find... But it would be more helpful to jump in and help find a solution.

Bravo to this company for helping to move us into a better direction.

While I will be the first to admit that the debate regarding whether the consumption of leather or synthetics is more damaging to the environment is a complicated one, it must be said that most of the comments posted so far in response to this article are myopic in their reasoning.

First of all, if we can all admit that the beef industry is incredibly toxic to the earth, how is buying ANY byproduct of that industry sustainable? Whether its hide is worth 3% of 50% of the total cow, when you purchase goods produced by the beef industry, *you support the beef industry*. So let's please not tiptoe around that fact.

That being said, I am quite vexed in having to decide what kinds of bags and shoes to purchase. PVC and PU are incontrovertibly damaging to the environment, so they are a very poor choice. Most leather is chrome tanned, as mentioned above, and are equally toxic. Vegetable tanned leather is supposedly biodegradable, but its purchase still supports the beef industry, which is terribly polluting.

My stance as of now is that buying these kinds of products (bags, shoes, etc.) second-hand is by far the best way to go. Vegetable tanned leather seems like a reasonably decent second choice, though.

I certainly agree with the comments above. I work very closely in the leather industry and can honest say that vegetable tanned leather is the most environmentally friendly by far. It often uses vegetable extracts to tan the leather and has minimal effect on the environment compared to Chrome or Chemical (cheaper and quicker).

Vegetable tanning is the most expensive method, but will often produce the best results.

Cows were/are mainly raised for the food industry. The hides themselves are a bi product. However, if no one ate the meat, I am sure some cows would be slaughter for there hides.

With regards to plastic / vinyl /synthetic bags - these are the worst polluters. Most will take 1000's of years to degrade and the manufacturing bi products effect the environment significantly. Put please remember one thing, any type of electronics is TEN TIMES worse.....these are all made in China or the Far East.

If you want environmentally friendly leather - vegetable tanned is the one of choice!