evidence: As public discourse around climate change gains traction, vegan leather has been touted as a sustainable alternative in recent years, and designers like Stella McCartney and Ganni have sworn off animal leather. But while innovative, natural alternatives like pineapple leather are on the market, a majority of vegan leather products are made from polyurethane — a plastic derived from fossil fuels. So how do we avoid replacing one polluting industry with another? Here’s how the current leather production industry is hurting the planet, and why lab-grown leather — a method of "biofabrication" that doesn’t require animals — could be a sustainable and fashionable solution.