You've probably been sold the idea that vegan or faux leather is the ethical alternative to real leather. This is a lie.
It's first important to understand that the leather industry is a byproduct of the beef industry, it does not drive it. Every single person in the world could stop buying real leather and switch to vegan or faux leather tomorrow, and the exact same amount of cows would be killed annually. Only now, millions of tonnes of animal hide would be going to waste.
So how is faux leather unethical on its own?
Faux leather is made from a fabric base topped with a plastic coating, it breaks down fast, as in 1-3 years, then it's straight to the landfill.
The fast fashion industry produces 90 million tonnes of waste per year. It also consumes more than 10 times the water that the AI industry does.
Buying vegan or faux leather products doesn't save a single cow or even slow down the beef industry. It's the fast fashion industry's way of guilt-tripping you into buying more plastic trash.
Full-grain leather, on the other hand, lasts a lifetime. It might unironically be the most sustainable fashion material out there. Buying full-grain leather isn't just providing you with a quality garment, it's an active step towards minimising fashion waste.