Leather versus vegan leather which is best?

More and more people want to make conscious choices for products that are good for the environment and sustainable. Animal welfare also plays an increasingly important role in the choices we make when it comes to the products we buy. We are therefore seeing a major trend in the dog industry towards vegan leather alternatives. There are many different artificial leather collars and leashes on the market, mostly made of BioThane® or vegan leather. It is cheap, versatile and comes in every conceivable color. But why doesn't Cooper & Quint use it?

In this article an overview of the differences between vegetable tanned leather and BioThane® and why we have chosen vegetable tanned leather. Of course this does not mean that you have to follow our choice, you are completely free to do so. Because both materials have advantages and disadvantages.

What is BioThane® or vegan leather?

BioThane® is the brand name of all coated webbing products made by BioThane Coated Webbing Corp. It is basically a polyester webbing with a TPU or PVC coating that makes it more durable, waterproof, easy to clean and weldable.*

Despite the brand name that includes the word bio as part of the name, this unfortunately does not mean that it is completely organic. BioThane® or 'vegan leather', are made from synthetic leather replacement materials, such as TPU and PVC. Or in other words: plastic. Plastic is not only polluting, it is also unsustainable. Not only because of the chemical process that precedes it, but also because plastic takes a very long time to break down and microplastics are released when wearing and washing synthetic products, which end up in the oceans and our drinking water.

Benefits of BioThane® dog leashes

  • Durable, robust
  • Suitable for all weather conditions
  • Easy to clean
  • No maintenance required

Disadvantages of BioThane® dog leashes

  • Lifespan - several 100s of years until decomposition
  • Microplastics
  • Contains plasticizers = Harmful to health
  • Higher environmental impact during production

Vegetable tanned leather

There are two types of leather. The most commonly used is chrome tanned leather. However, there is also a more sustainable variant of leather, namely vegetable tanned leather, which is used by Cooper & Quint. Unlike fur, where animals are killed for their skin, the skin of cattle is almost always a by-product of the meat industry. The raw hides used by our tannery come from cattle that are destined for the food industry from the outset and come from European farms that comply with EU animal welfare legislation. The tannery creates value from by-products of the food industry and tackles the problem of waste processing. Because only leather from Europe is used, the environmental impact of transport is low due to the shorter distance.

The vegetable tanning of animal skins is one of the oldest crafts of mankind. The skins are colored with natural extracts of plants, herbs and trees. Because vegetable tanned leather is tanned with natural tannins, it can be easily disposed of at the end of its life due to its chemical-biological properties and is biodegradable.

Vegetable tanned leather, recognizable by its trademark, contains no toxic substances such as azo dyes, nickel, PCP or chrome VI.

Benefits of learning dog leashes

  • By-product of the meat industry
  • Biodegradable if vegetable tanned
  • In case of vegetable tanning: No toxic substances, no health risk, no environmental pollution during tanning
  • Italian craftsmanship

Disadvantages of learning dog leashes

  • Depending on exposure, more difficult to clean
  • Must be properly maintained
  • In case of frequent contact with water, the leather must dry

Craftsmanship vegetable leather

What is better? BioThane® vegan leather or vegetable tanned leather?

Actually, there is no right or wrong answer. As mentioned, both options have advantages and disadvantages. What one person sees as sustainable depends on what you consider most important within all the sustainable options. For Cooper & Quint, this is environmental impact. We have chosen materials that are biodegradable at the end of their lifespan and also have a low environmental impact during production. For someone else, this could be working conditions, how long a product lasts or animal welfare. They are all important and unfortunately there is no product that meets all the criteria. Whatever choice you make, let it be a sustainable choice, that is already a great step. Do you know of a material that can meet all the requirements? Let us know!

* Source: https://www.biothane.us/applications/animal/faqs/biothane-faqs/

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