Vegan Leather

 My local bag shop is now full of bags that proudly state they are made out of "Vegan Leather".

Vegan leather? Surely that is an oxymoron?

    vegan = not consuming/using any animal products

    leather = animal skin that has been tanned or undergone a similar process.

So what is "vegan leather"?

It turns out that the majority or "vegan leather" is just poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) or poly(urethane) (PU), polymers produced from reagents derived from fossil fuels. Handbags made out of PVC (vinyl bags) have been around for decades, and have been a much, much cheaper option than expensive genuine leather bags.Until now! By re-branding vinyl bags as "Vegan Leather" suppliers can increase the price, capitalizing on the significant consumer trend toward "vegan" products.

I live in a city that is trying to ban the use of single use plastic items including shopping bags and straws etc which end up in landfill and stay there for (not-quite but almost) ever. How do you feel about your new plastic "vegan leather" handbag? When it starts to fall apart (anything from about a month to a year or so depending on use and quality) and you throw it out, do you feel that you have done your bit for the environment?

If you live in a country where there are growing demands to reduce coal-fired power generation, and reduce the use of fossil fuels in cars etc, in order to reduce the community's "carbon footprint",  how do you feel about your fossil fuel based "vegan leather" bag?

It isn't "vegan leather". It is plastic.

vegan leather bag = plastic bag