evidence: Leather vs Vegan Leather: What’s ACTUALLY More Sustainable? [...] Vegan leather and sustainability [...] Sustainability cons of vegan leather - Its production also tends to be chemical-heavy. PVC, in particular, is extremely polluting and releases hazardous dioxins. PU is the lesser of the two evils, but still derived from fossil fuels - Not biodegradable or, with natural options, only partly. Because vegan leather releases phthalates and toxic particles when decomposing, it can affect the environment and even the health of animals - It tends to be less durable than real leather, so it leads to additional waste when you replace it