FAQ

In the furniture business, leather is often used for sofas, armchairs, dining chairs, and even wall panels. What makes it so valued is its combination of elegance, durability, and comfort. Leather has a natural softness and warmth that textiles often can’t match. High quality articles, like top and full grain leather, also develop a unique patina over time, which adds character to the piece. It is also highly resistant to wear, making it suitable for items that are used daily. With proper care, a leather sofa can last decades, maintaining both its aesthetic appeal and its functional comfort.

In the automotive industry, leather is considered a premium choice for car interiors. It is used for seats, steering wheels, dashboards, and door panels. Drivers and passengers appreciate leather for its luxurious look and feel, but also for its practical qualities: it is strong, flexible, and breathable, which means it adapts to different temperatures and offers long-lasting comfort during driving.

When people talk about leather, one of the first arguments that comes up is that it is “not animal-friendly.” Of course, it’s true that leather comes from animal hides, however what is often overlooked is the fact that leather is not produced for its own sake: it is actually a by-product of the meat industry.

Cattle are primarily raised for food. The hides are essentially a leftover material, and without the leather industry, most of them would end up as waste: by burning or burying them, they would end up causing damage to the environment, polluting the air or the subsoil and possibly even the aquifers. Transforming hides into leather is, in a way, a form of recycling: it gives a second life to something that would otherwise be discarded.

From this perspective, leather is more sustainable than it might first appear. By using hides that already exist, the leather industry helps reduce waste and creates a durable, long-lasting material that can be used for decades. In fact, one could argue that choosing leather for furniture, clothing, or automotive interiors is more responsible than choosing many synthetic alternatives, which are often made of plastics derived from fossil fuels and have a much shorter lifespan.

Of course, leather does have environmental challenges, such as the tanning process, which needs to be carefully managed to minimize its impact, but the idea that leather is simply an “anti-animal” product doesn’t capture the full picture. It is not about killing animals for their skin, but it is about making use of a material that already exists, avoiding waste, and creating products that last for generations.

So, rather than labeling leather as “non-animal-friendly,” it’s more accurate to see it as part of a circular process: a natural by-product transformed into something valuable, durable, and sustainable over time.

When we talk about genuine leather and faux (or “eco”) leather it’s important to understand that even though the two materials may look similar, they are actually very different in origin, qualities, and performance.

Genuine leather is a natural product, made from animal hides, most commonly cattle. Because it comes from nature, no two pieces of leather are ever the same: each hide can have its own variations in grain, texture, and even small imperfections that make it unique. Leather is well known for its durability. If it is properly maintained, it can last for decades, making it a true long-term investment.

Another unique feature of leather is the way it ages gracefully: over time it develops a patina, a soft sheen that adds character and value to the material. On a practical level, leather is also breathable, flexible, and comfortable, which is why it is so widely used in furniture, fashion, and car interiors.

On the other hand, faux leather, or “eco”leather, is a synthetic material. It is usually made from polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and it is manufactured specifically to imitate the look of real leather. Faux leather of course won’t have any defect, imperfection or scars, since it’s an industry product. However, faux leather does not perform in the same way as real leather. It tends to be less breathable, it doesn’t age with the same beauty, and over time it may crack, peel, or lose its original look. In other words, it usually has a shorter lifespan.

Many people hear the word “eco-leather” and immediately assume that it must be an environmentally friendly alternative to genuine leather. But in reality, this is a bit misleading. Faux leather is not made from natural or biodegradable materials. Instead, it is typically produced using polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), both of which are types of plastic.

This means that, while faux leather is indeed animal-free, it comes with its own environmental challenges. Plastics like PU and PVC are derived from fossil fuels, and their production involves chemical processes that can have a significant impact on the environment. Unlike genuine leather, which is a by-product of the meat industry and can last for decades, faux leather is usually less durable. It may crack or peel within a few years, and when it reaches the end of its life cycle, it is not biodegradable. Disposing of synthetic materials often means they end up in landfills, where they take hundreds of years to break down.

So, even though eco leather sounds “green” or “sustainable,” the reality is more complex. It avoids the use of animal hides, which can be seen as a positive from an ethical point of view, but it replaces them with petroleum-based plastics that contribute to pollution and waste. In this sense, calling it “eco” can be misleading, because its environmental footprint is far from neutral.

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