Under their skin:

A report series on the injustices of leather production

The future of fashion is sustainable and ethical; it's time to move beyond animal-derived leather.

Leather has been seen as an unshakeable and prominent aspect of the fashion industry for millennia. The oldest intact leather shoe is over 5,500 years old, pre-dating the Pyramids of Giza by 1,000 years. But it's time for us to move forward.

Today, over 1.4 billion cattle have been bred and stand on once biodiverse land until they are slaughtered. Leather is now largely tanned with harsh carcinogenic chemicals, and destructive leather supply chains harmfully implicate workers, destroy critical habitat and pollute waterways with toxic chemicals.

Read our report series to understand these intertwined harms, and how we can move beyond them. When we work together, we have the power to transform fashion – and we have a responsibility to use this power for good.

Download the reports:

  • The leather industry causes avoidable harm to humans, our fellow animals, and the planet we share.

  • There is no such thing as ethical leather.

  • We do not need to tolerate these humanitarian, speciesist and environmental injustices. Together, we can transition beyond animal-derived leather production.

UNDER THEIR SKIN

UNDER THEIR SKIN

Part one: How does leather exploit humans?

“We’re like lemons – they squeeze us and then throw us away”

Too often, the human cost of leather supply chains is either ignored by the industry, or glazed over with empty promises and ethics-washing. It’s time to uncover the true physical and mental impact of this abusive and exploitative industry.

Part two: How does leather exploit the planet?

When we buy leather, we're fuelling the global climate crisis

Major emissions, deforestation, habitat and biodiversity destruction, species endangerment, land degradation and water pollution are all directly linked to the leather industry. Discover how else the industry devastates the planet.

Part 3: How does leather exploit animals

The leather industry reduces sentient individuals to commodities

The fashion and leather industry is built upon a supply chain of exploitation, mutilation, abuse and slaughter. Explore the lives of cattle in the leather supply chain and the policies that fail to protect them.

Part four: How can we justly transition beyond leather?

Fashion has always been about creativity and innovation, and we can use these as tools to build a better world

Funding which currently bolsters harmful industries can be shifted to support a just transition beyond both animal-derived and fossil fuel-based leather supply chains. In a just transition, no one is left behind.

Our steps forward for the fashion industry:

  • Step 1: Stop green-washing

    Terms like ‘ethical’, ‘conscious’, ‘sustainable’, ‘natural’, ‘circular’ and ‘eco-friendly’ should not be used in reference to animal-derived leather.

  • Step 2: Move beyond leather

    Fashion brands should publicly commit to reducing leather use by at least 50% by 2027, fully phasing out leather no later than 2035.

  • Step 3: Choose just alternatives

    Brands need to embrace materials which shift the industry beyond both fossil fuels and the animal industrial complex.

What these actions
mean for you

Our ecosystem

We’re proud to have worked with a wide range of organisations and experts in the creation of this report series. Collectively, we’re fighting for a total ethics fashion system.

What can you do?

If you’re a citizen, choose more ethical and sustainable alternatives to leather, and tell the brands you love you want them to stop using it. If you’re an industry or CSR professional that wants to help brands move away from leather, contact us below.

More resources on leather

  • Leather: an overview

    An exploration of some of the most severe harms caused to people, animals and the planet in leather supply chains.

    Read more

  • Next-gen leather alternatives

    A growing number of innovative, ethical and sustainable alternatives to leather are available today – while they aren’t all perfect, they're creating progress.

    Read more

  • Kangaroo leather

    While our report series focusses on the impacts tied to more commonly used leather, like cow skin leather, other animals suffer for fashion, too.

    Read more