People Are Calling Out Those Who Say Wearing Wool Is Animal Cruelty But Plastic ‘Vegan Leather’ Is Okay

According to a study by James Poore, an environmental researcher at the University of Oxford, the adoption of Veganuary (an annual challenge that promotes and educates about veganism by encouraging people to follow a vegan lifestyle for the month of January) in the UK alone is expected to have saved the atmosphere from the equivalent production of CO2 as 450,000 flights from London to Berlin, as well as 2.5 million litres (660,430 gallons) of water.

And that’s the impact of just 31 days. A more permanent adoption of veganism could, according to another study from the same university, be the “single biggest way” to reduce our impact on the environment, lowering an individual’s carbon footprint by 73 percent.

Such studies inspire people to not only adopt a vegan diet but change their entire lifestyle as well, including their fashion choices.

Sustainable fashion is on the increase (searches are up 75 percent year on year, according to global fashion search engine Lyst) and brands are searching for vegan alternatives in an attempt to deliver on this demand.

However, is vegan leather actually a cure for Earth? Not everyone thinks so.

While it can be made from more natural resources like pineapple leaves, cork, and apple peels, it is most often produced from two different plastic polymers; polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which are so popular due to their wrinkled texture, giving the effect of real leather, according to PETA.

A recent Twitter thread by user Shepherd dives deeper into the topic, raising the question: Is ethical consumption possible under capitalism at all?