Are there exceptions to sustainability?

For the past year, I’ve been stuck in a moral dilemma. Is buying an environmentally friendly item that contains animal products better for the planet than plant-based products? Hear me out before you judge!

I’m only talking about clothing, not food.

I’ve been a vegan for 10 years now with no exceptions so far. I don’t own a car and travel by public transport or bike. I try to use as little plastic as possible and avoid single-use, non-biodegradable materials whenever I can. I take good care of my things and try to repair what I can. But now, many things I use regularly are starting to fall apart, like my hiking boots and winter jacket. I need replacements but can’t seem to reach a decision.

I’ve been taking conservation biology classes, and it’s clear that the state of our planet is very bad. Consumption and pollution are major contributors to global warming and changes in ecosystems.

I want to buy something that will last a long time and is biodegradable. I’ve bought many vegan shoes in the past, but they’re almost always made of plastic, and none of them last more than a year. It’s expensive, creates a lot of waste, and has a lot of emissions (probably some human exploitation, too). PU leather is just plastic, and pineapple leather falls apart after a year.

The vegan winter coat I looked at is made from plastic and polyester fill, Patagonia offers coats with recycled ocean plastics and recycled down.

This got me thinking. I really don’t want to buy and wear leather or contribute to its production in any way.

But isn’t it potentially better for animals to buy one pair of leather shoes instead of ten pairs of plastic shoes? Marine ecosystems are in a terrible state. I don’t want to add to the landfills and the plastic island in the Pacific.

Of course, you would have to find a company that makes leather without polluting the water and only uses skin from animals raised for food, but I’m not trying to get too technical here. I just want to know your thoughts on this issue because I’m personally torn.

I can’t imagine buying a piece of dead animal to wear, but is that selfish of me? What would the dead turtles in the ocean say about this? The dolphins wrapped in plastic bags?

I know this doesn’t technically fit the definition of vegan because I would still be exploiting an animal, but is it sometimes more ethically correct to prioritize sustainability over veganism to help the planet and all animals, not just domesticated ones?

There’s nothing vegan or more ethically correct about deliberately exploiting an animal for their skin.

You’re also ignoring the environmental damage caused by the leather industry. The animal agriculture industry (which is where leather comes from) is destroying the planet:

The process for making leather is not environmentally friendly either:

https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/fall-2024/articles/what-is-the-environmental-impact-of-leather

Also, the animal killed for leather was probably fed a diet of soy, corn, and grains – all of which resulted in the death of small animals during planting and harvesting.

Leather is not better for the environment.

Vegan shoes can last a long time (I have some vegan mountaineering shoes that are still going strong after a few years of heavy use).

If no one buys vegan shoes, the industry will never improve in quality, price, or environmental friendliness, and we’ll be stuck with the damaging leather industry, which harms the planet more in the long run.

That’s why I’ve been buying vegan shoes, even though I’m not happy with them. If you know of any brands (especially available in Europe), let me know.

Have you tried the steel-tipped vegan boots from Vegetarian Shoes? My pair was practically indestructible. I hiked everywhere in them. I wore them at a farm sanctuary once, and a boar thought they’d make a good chew toy. All it left were some scratches. They are expensive and take a while to break in, but once they do, they’re very comfortable. I had them for 20 years, and the only reason I don’t have them now is because my feet got bigger after pregnancy.

https://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/specialist/hiking___safety___work/10032_0c.html

20 years is very impressive! Thanks for the recommendation.

No, leather is not environmentally friendly. It uses a lot of toxic chemicals and requires a lot of land to raise cows.

A fully vegan lifestyle, even with some plastics, has a much lower ecological impact.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-023-00795-w

PS: Most plastic in the ocean comes from abandoned fishing gear.

https://theoceancleanup.com/ocean-plastic-pollution-explained/

PPS: Canvas shoes last a decent amount of time.

I skimmed the nature article, but it seems like it only focuses on the dietary impacts, not on the overall lifestyle effects?

And yeah, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is mostly fishing gear, but millions of kilograms of plastic still end up in the ocean through rivers. Plastic pollution is a problem not only in marine environments but everywhere.

Edit: canvas shoes are my go-to, but they’re not great for hiking. I’ve hurt myself wearing them.

You can’t separate leather from meat and dairy. The damage caused by the meat and dairy industries is the same as the damage caused by leather.

Not maybe, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch IS mostly fishing gear.

Does your data show that plastic pollution is worse than the impact of animal agriculture or the global fishing industry? The nature article seems to suggest otherwise.

Well, the issue with conservation biology is that it’s not just about measuring carbon footprints and eliminating the worst offenders. Pollution, for example, is a major threat that isn’t well understood yet, and the effects might not be fully realized for decades. That’s the tough part about plastic – it lasts way longer than any of us will. And it’s not just plastic – it’s also other chemicals like PCPs and heavy metals. There’s a lot we don’t know yet, and there isn’t good scientific consensus.

So my data basically says, ‘we don’t know yet.’

We know that the leather, meat, and dairy industries have been causing massive damage for decades.

PS: PVC was accidentally made in 1872 by a German chemist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_plastic_development

By making this post, you’ve already shown that you live a more sustainable life than most people. If everyone lived like you, we wouldn’t have a problem. The fact that you buy more than one pair of shoes in your life isn’t harming the planet. You’re not the problem. The people who buy 20 pairs of shoes per year because of fashion are.

Avoiding leather is the more ethical choice.

Well, yes. I agree. But what’s the most ethical option here, in your opinion, and why?

I hit send too soon. I reposted my comment with more details as a top-level comment.

Would you buy human skin clothing over vegan clothes (the human skin one is better for the environment)? If no, buy the vegan one.

Honestly, if the person gave their consent to be turned into shoes after their peaceful death, I don’t see why not.

The human was treated like a cow (raised in a factory farm, probably, and slaughtered before they reached their full life).

Then there’s your answer. When you can get a clear, understandable answer from an animal asking to be made into shoes after their peaceful death, it’ll be considered vegan.

But cows don’t consent to being killed and having their skin used for leather. That’s the difference – consent.

I think your reasoning is very reasonable, maybe because I feel the same way. But, I’m not a lifestyle vegan, so I may not be the best person to validate your feelings.