Real Leather: Why Eco-Friendly & an Investment?

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Real leather is an animal sourced, investment grade, eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, breathable, and tough natural material, and leather products made from it such as shoes, sandals, boots, slippers, jackets, furniture, rings, bracelets, pendant, bags, belts, and various accessories are durable, sturdy, long-lasting, eye-catching, luxurious, timeless, fashion appealing, versatile, and these are good value addition in the wardrobes of the men and women.

Goods constructed from real leather have impressive appearance, soft inner sides, glossy surface, elegant designs, strong construction methods, contain material softness, suppleness, and flexibility, so, that is why people consider leather products long-term investment choices because they continue to wear and use goods made of leather for the extended time period.

Synthetic materials, polymers, and plastics are not eco-friendly, take hundreds of years to decompose, badly pollute and imbalance ecology of earth, so, products made from synthetic materials, vegan leather, and polymers are inferior in quality, manifest scratches, dullness, and fading after short period of use, and these do not last longer.

Products made from natural leather save precious money and valuable time of the men and women and save them from repeat buying exercises and deep level of frustration in future because goods made of natural leather are long-lasting, good quality, durable, flexible, timeless, and strong.

To buy product made of leather is an excellent tradeoff between your hard-earned money and valuable time, so, it is a unique commercial transaction, you make.

Leather Goods Market Size

According to the study of Fortune Business Insights, international leather goods market size was valued at US$ 440.64 billion in year 2022 and the market is expected to grow from US$ 468.49 billion in year 2023 to US$ 738.61 billion by year 2030, showing a Compounded Average Growth Rate of 6.7% during the projected period.

Real Leather: Eco-Friendly Material

Real leather is an animal-based, tough, breathable, hypoallergenic, and eco-friendly natural material which gets decomposed easily and does not pollute ecology of earth while synthetic materials and plastics are not eco-friendly, take hundreds of years to decompose, badly pollute atmosphere of earth, and emit toxic gases into the atmosphere especially when these are burned in open places.

When you intend to buy products constructed from real leather, than it means that you are strong supporter of environmentally friendly products

Real Leather: A Long-Term Investment

To buy products made from real leather are long-term money investment for the buyers because they continue to have on and use leather bags, garments, shoes, boots, sandals, luggage, furniture, belts, and other accessories for the longest span of time!

Products constructed from full grain leather are more expensive, durable, sturdy, long-lasting, breathable, versatile, and high-end finished goods than products made of other leather types like top grain, genuine, bonded, and suede finished fabric. 

Full grain leather develops beautiful and eye-catching patina with aging and shows natural imperfections, wrinkles, and scars on the surface of skins and hides of animals which make them more gorgeous.

Is Vegan Leather Bad for Environment & Health?

Vegan or faux leather, synthetic materials, and all types of polymers are manufactured by burning fossil fuels on the premises of factories which directly release carbon dioxide and poisonous gases into the environment which combining disturb greenhouse effects and increase level of temperature on earth.

Goods made of vegan leather and synthetic materials that are manufactured by burning fossil fuels, so, releasing carbon dioxide into the environment deplete ozone layer on significant level.

Ozone layers are responsible for keeping earth’s temperature in balance and act as an umbrella for protecting earth from direct radiations of sunlight, so, manufacturing of vegan leather is not safe for environment of earth.

Products made of vegan leather can develop skin irritation, allergy, and cause cancer if jackets, shoes, and other wearable are worn for extended time period.

Real Leather: Vegetable Tannins

Tanning and processing of hides and skins through applying vegetable tannins take longer time to produce finished leather, but as a good result, shoes, boots, belts, all accessories, and garments constructed from real leather are more expensive, durable, strong, long-lasting, breathable, ageless than goods made of other leather types such as top grain, genuine, suede, and bonded.

You can safely say that products constructed from vegetable tanned natural leather are more durable, strong, long lasting, expensive, elegant, superior quality items, and long-term investment choices than products made from synthetic materials, artificial leather, and polymer, so, goods made of natural leather last longer and do not cause dullness, fading, and scratches even after passing of several years, if these are taken good care.

Sources of Vegetable Tannins

Hides and skins which are tanned through vegetable tannins become strong, durable, and long-lasting, so, natural acidic compounds or powders are obtained or extracted from natural sources which include barks, oak leaves, black tea, roots of trees, twigs, fruits, woods, plant species, sticks, and different kinds of seeds.

As a good result, products made from natural leather are superior in quality, longevity, flexibility, sturdiness, eco-friendliness, carry long-term money investment for the customers and these have efficient secondary markets for old and used goods.

Natural Leather is Breathable

Shoes, boots, bags, cases, garments, luggage, sandals, furniture, and all accessories constructed from natural leather are breathable which allow air, heavy sweating, and moistures to pass through leather walls, so, keeping humans' body parts and their valuable items cool, dry, and ventilated.

This is a well-established fact that natural characteristic of breathability of leather fabric keeps body parts of humans cool, dry, airy, comfortable, and protect them from skin irritation, allergies, itching, and discomfort.

Leather is Treated Fire & Water Resistant

Products constructed from natural leather are treated water and fire resistant up to a greater extent and it becomes difficult for water to infiltrate the natural leather walls of the shoes, boots, bags, garments, and other accessories. Likewise, goods made from leather are chemically treated to become fire resistant.

Processing of water resistance is made possible through the prudent treatments such as oiling, creaming, conditioning, and waxing.

Real Leather & Prominent Tanning Methods

Raw skins and hides of animals are tanned through using different methods of which two prominent leather tanning methods are mostly used worldwide one is chromium-based and another is vegetable-based in which natural tannins are used.

All initial processes from salting to removing enzymes to cleanse grain on hides and skins are the same in both methods, but after cleansing and removing lime, hides and skins are soaked in either chromium salt with water or alternatively, vegetable tannins with water in a drum or pit.

Processing of vegetable tannins takes from one month to two months whereas chromium-based tannings take a day only. 

In today’s fasting moving modern world for producing items for mass consumption, ninety percent hides and skins are tanned through chromium-based methods while ten percent is based on vegetable tannins worldwide.

As a matter of reality, hides and skins which are tanned from vegetable tannins are more durable, long-lasting, robust, breathable, so, quality conscious and well-informed men and women consider them long-term investment than chromium-based tanned leather products.

Image's Source: Pixabay

A Glimpse from History

History has revealed that vegetable natural tannings were used to be in practice at the point of 5000 BC and on later ages in all ancient civilizations such as Egyptian, many Arabic regions, Greece, Sumer, Roman, and other ancient nations. 

In those above cited eras, hides and skins were used to be soaked in water filled with barks, leaves, roots of trees, oak, fruits, woods, and plant species, and more natural resources.

Protection from Freezing Temperature

Products made of real leather like shoes, boots, jackets, clothing, hats, and may more protect wearers from freezing temperature, cold breezes, and heavy snow falling. Outfits and garments made from leather are extremely beneficial for those regions which experience low temperature on perennial basis.

Thick leather fabrics block internal body heat of the wearers to leak outside and keep them warm and comfortable in winter, windy, rainy, and cold weather conditions.

Pleasant Aroma

Products made from synthetic materials, polymers, plastics, and artificial leather give you bad, fishy, and chemical smells whereas goods constructed from natural leather release pleasant aroma which boosts mood and happiness level of the people who wear, use, and sit on goods that are made from leather fabric.

Conclusion

Now, you can comprehend very well that natural leather is eco-friendly natural material and products constructed from it are durable, long-lasting, strong, timeless, breathable, hypoallergenic, soft, supple, flexible, versatile, and long-term money investment for the people because they continue to put on and use leather goods for the protracted time period!

Hope you have enjoyed this journey, so, what is your valuable opinion?