Definitions, Government Regulations, and Norms Within the “Vegan/Vegetarian Leather” Industry

Environmental sustainability is a major area of research for various industrial sectors such as the leather industry and the luxury and fashion industry. Several alternatives to traditional animal-based leather have been introduced in the market as “vegan” leather, e.g., the pineapple skin leather Piñatex, mycelium (mushroom leather), apple leather, cactus leather, polyurethane/polyvinyl chloride (PU/PVC) faux leather, etc. However, a clear assessment of their environmental impacts and sustainability parameters (such as carbon/water footprint via life cycle assessment (LCA)) are limitedly published, and often manufacturers and consumers become targets of greenwashing. In fact, the German Leather Federation (VDL) argues that the term “vegan leather” is misleading and anticompetitive because the use of the term “leather” by traditional perception and reference is animal-derived. The aim of the current book is to provide clarity and a coherent structural assessment of sustainable vegan or vegetarian alternatives to leather. Importantly, this book contributes to the current research within sustainability and environmental impact, production, and consumption aspects of these materials. This chapter will orient the readers toward various definitions pertaining to vegan leather, government regulations, and norms within the “vegan/vegetarian leather” industry.