Is Veg Tan Leather Good For The Environment?

[TomBanwell]

Someone blogged about one of my steampunk masks and made the comment that it was good I used veg tan leather as it "saves the planet". I had never thought about whether veg tan was better for the environment than other leather. I'm not sure he wasn't thinking of "vegan leather", which of course I would never use. Any thoughts?

Here is the article: http://www.walyou.com/blog/2010/09/23/olifant-steamunk-mask/

[EricDobson]

I usually try not to comment on things that I can't give a definitive answer on, but this is a topic I'm extremely interested in and hope to learn a lot more about.

My understanding is that vegetable tanning is significantly better for the environment, though I don't know that it's entirely harmless. I hope someone more knowledgeable can shed some light on this. I'd love to be wrong and have someone convince me that I shouldn't be concerned about using chrome-tanned leather, but I suppose it's just as likely that someone will come along and inform me that veg is just as bad in its own ways... we'll see!

[terrymac]

There is a post in another section of the Forum touting some Italian purse maker that is using Eco Friendly leather in all their products. I thought someone must have figured out a new way of raising beef. Found out they were just talking about Veg Tanned leather. It just amazes me how many people are jumping on this bandwagon, and using it as a marketing gimmick. Guess I am just old fashioned enough to start thinking enough is enough. All you ever hear about is how bad raising cattle is on the environment from the methane gas cattle produce to how unhealthy a good steak is, but now we can have eco friendly hides. All I know is I have been wearing leather boots for over 60 years , and so far my feet haven't come down with some dreaded disease as a result from exposure to some non-eco friendly leather. I am sure that at some point in the past, tanning hides could have been a hazard to those doing the work, but I would be willing to bet in this day and age, with all the rules and regulations, it is probably no less hazardous than any other occupation. I'd also be willing to bet that as long as you don't start eating chrome tanned leather, it probably won't kill you either. I just wonder if the good people at Herman Oak and Wickett/Craig realize how they have been saving the planet all these years. JMO

Terry

Edited September 26, 2010 by terrymac

[EricDobson]

The big thing for me is, I don't want to hire other people to do something I would never do myself. If I wouldn't treat my own cows a certain way, and I wouldn't work with tanning chemicals if there was a reasonable alternative, I'm not going to ignore that I'm paying someone else to do it. You can't outsource integrity. I have no problem with raising animals for food and hide, but I think it's worth the effort to find suppliers who conduct business in an ethical way, or to use less harmful options if they're available. I looked into alternatives to leather, and there's nothing very impressive out there. Synthetics are junk and are made from petroleum, and I'm not going to get into nitpicking over which ones are slightly less harmful. That applies to leather too... if the difference between chrome and veg tan isn't huge, then I'm not going to worry about it. I'd just like to know.

Edited September 26, 2010 by EricDobson

[TwinOaks]

Yes, Veg tan leather is good for the environment. We're using up all the hides from the cattle that die. We are RECYCLING!!!!!!!!!!

[Stewart]

well now,

The question of tanned hide. Is it harmful?

As i near a certain age a good "hide tanning " did quite a bit of good.

Back than iI may have a different view about it. It king of helped out

with my manners-did improve school grades..

I guess you may say that a Veg Tan is what i got for not

eating Spinach, which my dad loved or as i believe now he did not.

For an example that some things are bad and you have to work through it.

Can tanning to reoccurance toward some one else?

Yess!!! just ask my son

I hope this answers the question of Tanning being harmfull?

I am proud of my son so as my dad was.

Joe

Edited September 26, 2010 by Stewart

[8thsinner]

This is an interesting topic for me aswell, I do market my products as eco friendly, and that we use all natural materials. Some of those materials ie steel ball bearings do cost money, heat, labor etc to produce but it's still a natural material

This also includes the use of recycled chrome tanned leathers, Ie sofa leathers.

I think it would however come down to the tanning process itself in chrome tanned leather.

The main questions that spring to mind are:

Does chrome tanning use chemicals that are more expensive to produce than veg tanning does? (eg filtering process of bark manual labor etc)

Do you require licenses to use said chemicals (licensing gives your money to an organised restriction system which comes out of tax money).

Does the waste of the veg tanned extraction system get put back in to use as mulch etc, doubling the number of uses of a single materials?

I know little about chrome tanning process of yesterday or today. but I am hoping someone can answer these.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

This isn't something that I have even worried about, but this is what I believe those who do may be questioning.

Chrome tanning- hazards of the chemicals used, no EPA standards in other countries where the tanning is done resulting in pollution, and possible effects in regards to health.

Veg tanning-where are the tannins coming from, possible deforestation in other countries, and is it sustainable. I saw a picture in Shop Talk of stacks, an stacks of logs that were used to make the tannins at on tannery. It actually made me think about the whole process some, just seeing that picture. Trees do not grow that fast, and they were decent sized trees.

I figure the only true eco-friendly method would be brain tanning; no chemicals, and all natural. Tha animal itself provides the tanning agents.

[abn]

This is an interesting topic, but I'm not sure I'd spend much time worrying about it. Certainly, there are chemicals that go into any sort of tanning process, and of course there's packaging and shipping that add to the environmental impact of working with leather.

However, the alternative is working with synthetic materials that lay in landfills for centuries. Keeping in mind that leather is a by-product of the meat industry -- and that it's easily bio-degradable -- helps make leatherwork a very eco-friendly endeavor.

[Hedy]

I am increasingly concerned about this subject, personally. It's tough to figure out where our leather comes from because tanneries sell globally. Does your leather come from under-regulated Third World tanneries (such as India), where cows are starved/dehydrated, have pepper rubbed in their eyes to keep them awake, have their tails broken to keep them alert, are allowed to stand for days or weeks with broken legs or worse, get moved with forklifts when they are too weak to walk, get stacked on top of one another in pens while still alive but too weak to move, get killed with dull knives, get skinned while still alive, et cet? Or China (many of same, plus blatant skinning of live animals, including for fur)? There are eye-witness/hidden-camera videos of these practices. I have seen them and been sick for weeks.

Then what about those tannery workers become ill because they are not given adequate protection from long-term exposure (check out the chromium VI risks below)? What about the pollution that results to the water table? These are difficult issues to ponder. Personally, I'm working to forge collaborations with local homesteaders to see if I can get brain-tanned hides from their animal harvests that would otherwise be left to return to the eco-system. Every now and then, our local Native-owned leather shop has a smoked moose hide or such.

I have promised myself I won't randomly buy leather without attempting to acquire something more humane first. There are suppliers who are doing it on the up-and-up, such as http://www.braintan.com/ (Traditional Tanners). You can even buy a wet hide and do the tan yourself. Buckskin, rawhide, deerhide, furs (including buffalo).

Just a look at the chromium science will give an indication:

Chromium(VI) is a danger to human health, mainly for people who work in the steel and textile industry. People who smoke tobacco also have a higher chance of exposure to chromium.

Chromium(VI) is known to cause various health effects. When it is a compound in leather products, it can cause allergic reactions, such as skin rash. After breathing it in chromium(VI) can cause nose irritations and nosebleeds.

Other health problems that are caused by chromium(VI) are:

- Skin rashes

- Upset stomachs and ulcers

- Respiratory problems

- Weakened immune systems

- Kidney and liver damage

- Alteration of genetic material

- Lung cancer

- Death

The health hazards associated with exposure to chromium are dependent on its oxidation state. The metal form (chromium as it exists in this product) is of low toxicity. The hexavalent form is toxic. Adverse effects of the hexavalent form on the skin may include ulcerations, dermatitis, and allergic skin reactions. Inhalation of hexavalent chromium compounds can result in ulceration and perforation of the mucous membranes of the nasal septum, irritation of the pharynx and larynx, asthmatic bronchitis, bronchospasms and edema. Respiratory symptoms may include coughing and wheezing, shortness of breath, and nasal itch.

Edited September 30, 2010 by Hedy