[AA-BA-94-2A-56]

Your assumptions are doing a lot of the heavy lifting in your comment. At the moment hydrocarbon-based vegan leather is inferior economically and more fossil fuel intensive. I don't necessarily agree that a vegan leather based on rubber and pineapple leaves (agricultural bi-product) is going to be more economically or fossil fuel intensive.

Do you have experience in this industry or something, or did you just pull this out of your ass?

[ramesh31]

There are no assumptions. Leather is a byproduct of feeding ourselves: https://www.americanleather.com/resource-center/where-does-l...

The only possible impetus for more synthetics is a new product to market towards first world vegans who feel bad.

[AA-BA-94-2A-56]

I am also aware of this fact, which is why I myself have real leather boots, phone case, etc. However, it's not very forward thinking to not develop alternatives that are vegan, because it may be possible that the world eats less meat in the future, and therefore produces less animal leather.

I also haven't heard the answer to my question– how is this particular alternative to leather, based on rubber and pineapple leaves (and not plastic), particularly bad for the economy or the environment?

[happymellon]

I get so confused how these petroleum derived plethers are okay to be branded as vegan.

Its boiling the planet and directly killing animals through microplastics in the food and water.

In my opinion there is no generally available leather or leather alternative for shoes that are vegan.

[dTal]

How is it "boiling the planet"? If anything, using petroleum for some purpose other than fuel is fighting global warming, by consuming a finite supply.

Microplastics are bad, but that's indirectly killing animals - not directly. And vegan leather is a silly thing to nitpick over this issue, when there's probably roughly as much plastic in a pair of shoes as in a disposable water bottle you use once.

[happymellon]

> How is it "boiling the planet"?

Because Americans are using intensive methods to extract oil from the ground.

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=25372

And they are behind other western countries in how they produce energy.

https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3

> And vegan leather is a silly thing to nitpick over

It was a phrase that was used and I find it weird. I would not have mentioned it otherwise.

> there's probably roughly as much plastic in a pair of shoes as in a disposable water bottle you use once.

I avoid those too. Metal reusable, and had it for quite a few years now.

You seem very angry that someone doesn't like the phrase "vegan leather" for a product that is shit for the planet.

[dTal]

I know tone is hard to read over text but I'm honestly baffled how you got "very angry" from my comment. I'm simply responding? Nobody claims that vegan leather is perfect but veganism is about making a best effort. Objecting to pleather on the grounds of "microplastics" seems like an unreasonably high standard. Are we also to deny that lettuce is vegan because slugs get killed? Defining "vegan" in such a way that nothing is vegan is counterproductive.

[neuralRiot]

I can easily clear up the difference, “vegan” leather can or cannot harm animals you cannot be sure “if” or how much, real leather on the other hand cannot exist without a dead animal. As a vegan I usually find these type of comments more like a defensive “you’re not better than me” same as when they tell you that avocados and almond milk use a lot of water and iphones are made using child labor.

[happymellon]

There are other options.

The murder of an animal is bad.

The death of all living things is also bad. Why do people feel the need to defend shitty plastics?