Vegan leather loses its green credentials as plastics require fossil fuels
Pleather, or plastic leather, was revived as “vegan leather” and hailed as an eco-friendly alternative to the real thing. Now, however, it is being dropped by some brands over its green credentials. The term was originally used to cover leather substitutes made from pineapple fibres and the pulp of apples and coconuts in a process that can be carbon neutral. It soon became a catch-all for synthetic versions created using non-biodegradable plastic, polyester, PVC and polyurethane. All require fossil fuels in their manufacturing. Portugal banned the phrase "vegan" and "synthetic" leather saying that they were misleading. In France, there is pressure from tanning industry to do similar.