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.
This really is a perfect replacement for reddit, we even have the same reposted fun facts
You can leave reddit, but you can’t leave the redditor on the inside.
Don’t buy leather. Cows are sentient beings with their own subjective experience. Actions that inflict unnecessary harm upon others should be reconsidered.
If you downvote, you must have a justification for buying leather and I’d love to hear it.
the harsh truth of this existence is that some life kills other life. its just the way it is. from the cellular level all the way up to orcas killing seals. its natural and fine imo. of course we shouldn’t go out of our way to inflict unnecessary pain and suffering. but if im going to eat a cow which i do regularly, then im also going to use every part of the cow because its the right thing to do. including its skin to make myself a nice leather knife sheath or a nice pair of leather boots. leather is an excellent material for all kinds of things humans can use.
Why do you think it’s wrong to waste part of a cow? It’s clear you think they deserve moral consideration, but you don’t need leather or meat, so it is automatically unnecessary pain and suffering. Many terrible things happen in nature, rape and killing and eating babies etc. We don’t use what happens in nature as moral justification.
We are part of nature.
Right so we still have to decide whether or not rape and murder are morally okay considering it happens elsewhere in nature. If someone else does something, does that make it okay to do it to another person?
Justification: I like to eat cows, they taste good. Might as well use the skin when the animal is killed anyway. Also leather is a really good material for a lot of things.
Second. I am a carnivore.
Not quite. The truth is, there is no universally recognized grades of leather. But when bragging about quality, genuine leather is the lowest bar they can go (other than bonded leather, which isn’t fully leather but just a veneer over fabric.
Full grain or top grain is generally what you want.
https://lifehacker.com/what-genuine-leather-really-means-1850309049
Also, some are concerned about the use of an animal product. The vast majority of leather is a byproduct of the beef industry. It is skin that would otherwise go to waste. And it is also far more environmentally friendly a material than many alternatives, which are often made of plastics.
Yeah, honestly you should buy leather products based on brands than on description of “genuine” leather.
And agree, real leather is a much better alternative to the ridiculous amount of micro-plastic synthetic leather generates, especially since it’ll last you decades if you maintain it well.
Leather is murder anyways.
Wonder what the people who are downvoting this are thinking. Is it not murder, or is it only a restproduct of murder?
Not murder, per definition.
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
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.
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.
Can somebody explain why leather is better? It’s it the smell? The feel? Tradition? I see it in car reviews where they complain about cloth.
@BigTrout75 many people are sensitive to dust. A car with a leather interior is easier to clean. The dust cannot stick in the seats.
Let’s be honest here. The amount of people this applies to is miniscule.
Not to be all hyper pagan or anything but maybe just don’t buy skin?
plant based leather exists