‘Vegan Leather’ is a ‘Greenwash’, says Bridge of Weir Leather

Bridge of Weir Leather, purveyors of the finest automotive leather, is demanding transparency for ‘Vegan Leather’ production with claims of ‘Greenwashing’.

It’s always been the case that leather interiors for cars have been considered more luxurious and more upmarket than cloth or faux-leather upholstery. 

But in the increasingly woke world in which we live in, where tiny minorities seem to drive every new demand for us to be sustainable or carbon neutral or any other number of causes, car makers are starting to fit even the most high-end cars with non-leather/Faux Leather/Vegan Leather, to pamper to the minority and polish their corporate green profile.

But, according to Bridge of Weir Leather, purveyors of fine leather to the likes of McLaren, Aston Martin, JLR and more, many ‘Vegan’ leathers (an oxymoron if ever there was) actually contain plastics that do not biodegrade and can’t be properly recycled, are not as robust as leather and don’t wear well, and its manufacture involves harmful chemicals.

By contrast, genuine leather is a by-product of cattle farming so cattle are not bred for their hides and its production adds no extra carbon emissions or contributes to deforestation.

Bridge of Weir is calling for transparency from Vegan Leather manufacturers so that car makers and consumers can make decisions based on reality, not simply the perception that ‘Vegan’ leathers are better for the environment.

Bridge of Weir’s Dr Warren Bowden said:

Car makers and consumers are being led to believe that many non-animal materials, which can be made from various plant-based products or recycled plastic bottles, perform better and are more sustainable than real leather.  

But this isn’t the case and there is real concern they are being greenwashed. Unlike leather, synthetic materials created using fossil fuels do not biodegrade. They litter oceans and soils with debris and microplastics, and cause tremendous damage to biodiversity.