Gerhard Horn, a writer for CarBuzz, recently published a rant about “vegan leather” that is absolutely epic.
To put it mildly, he’s not a fan of the term, which he says was invented by clever marketers to “greenwash” the automotive industry. Most of all, he believes it’s incredibly misleading to consumers.
Here’s an excerpt from the fun rant:
Despite being a self-contradictory term, ‘vegan leather’ is so hot right now. If you want to make the ultimate environmentally-friendly statement, you have to order an electric car with a vegan leather interior. But the words “vegan” and “leather” can’t co-exist next to each other because leather, by definition, is a material made from the skin of an animal using tanning or other processes to keep it from rotting.
We’ve just started this article and already we’re staring the first problem in the face. “Vegan leather” is a term made up by marketing people because leather has always been associated with high-quality, upmarket vehicles. The reason marketing departments keep using it is because ‘fake leather’ and ‘plastic leather’ don’t sound as sexy.
The word vegan is defined as a “person who does not eat any food derived from animals and who typically does not use other animal products.” Why, then, keep on using the word leather, which is intrinsically connected to animals?
As you can tell, I’m not amused by the concept of vegan leather, and not just because the term is mutually exclusive. My annoyance stems from the sheer amount of greenwashing used to punt fake leather, now sold as an optional extra or the eco-friendly alternative.
The issue is that so-called vegan leather has been around for ages, previously known as leatherette and vinyl. It’s nothing new, but it has undergone a massive PR boost because you don’t need to kill a cow to make it. But just because it’s vegan-friendly doesn’t mean it’s environmentally friendly. Those are two very different things.
Of course, this isn’t anything we haven’t already said on The Hog Ring. But Horn’s take is amusing because you can tell how annoyed he is with the whole concept of “vegan leather.”
It’s definitely a rant you need to read in full. Check it out: How Vegan Leather Is Greenwashing The Automotive Industry.