Is buying leather ethical?

A question more people are asking

As conversations around sustainability grow, more people are starting to question the materials they buy and wear. Leather is one of the materials that comes up most often.

Some people see leather as natural and long-lasting. Others see it as problematic because it comes from animals. And many people sit somewhere in the middle, unsure what the most responsible choice really is.

The honest answer is that it isn’t a simple yes or no.

Like many things in fashion, leather sits within a complicated set of trade-offs. Understanding those trade-offs can help people make choices that feel right for them.

Leather is usually a by-product

One important thing many people don’t realise is that most leather is not produced as the primary reason animals are raised.

In the majority of cases, leather is a by-product of the meat industry. If the hides weren’t used, they would often become waste.

This doesn’t remove the ethical questions around animal agriculture, but it does change the conversation slightly. Using leather can be seen as making use of a material that already exists, rather than creating an entirely new one.

The environmental side of the conversation

Leather also raises environmental questions, particularly around tanning processes and farming practices.

Some tanning methods involve chemicals that can have environmental impacts if not handled responsibly. At the same time, leather itself is a durable natural material that can last many years — often far longer than synthetic alternatives.

This is where the conversation becomes more complex.

A product that lasts a decade may ultimately have a different environmental footprint than something that needs replacing every year or two.

What about vegan leather?

Vegan leather is often presented as the ethical alternative to leather. In some cases it can be — particularly with newer plant-based materials that are still evolving.

However, many widely used vegan leathers today are made from plastic-based materials like polyurethane or coated fabrics.

These materials can look similar to leather, but they often behave differently over time and are usually harder to repair. Durability varies widely depending on how they’re made.

For us, the conversation becomes less about which material is perfect — and more about which material performs well enough to be used for many years.

Why longevity matters

One of the most overlooked parts of sustainability is how long something lasts.

A bag that is worn daily for ten years spreads its environmental impact across a much longer period than something replaced every year.

Materials that can age well, be repaired, and continue working over time often play an important role in this conversation.

Longevity doesn’t make a material perfect — but it does change the overall impact.

How we think about it at Forage

As a small brand, we think about these questions a lot.

There isn’t a perfect material or a perfect system, and we try to be honest about that. What we focus on instead is making products that are well made, durable, and used for a long time.

Our bags are made using surplus leather sourced through long-standing suppliers. Using surplus materials helps ensure hides that already exist are put to good use rather than wasted.

For us, the goal isn’t perfection — it’s thoughtful choices, transparency, and creating pieces that people will continue to use for years.

The reality of imperfect decisions

Ethical fashion conversations often search for a clear right answer. In reality, most decisions involve trade-offs.

Different people will make different choices depending on their values, priorities, and needs.

What matters most is understanding the materials we use, asking thoughtful questions, and supporting brands that are open about how and why they make the decisions they do.