Leather might not seem the most eco-friendly material but with any material, it depends how you use it, where it comes from, and what processes it has undergone…

La Pell is a project started by a few craftsmen & designers in Catalonia, Spain to prevent the local trade of leather production from disappearing in the region, due to pressure of cheaper products imported from China or elsewhere.
La Pell means the skin and the leather in Catalan, and the local material sourcing and production is essential to this project, and guarantees its quality and responsibility.  Leather products include objects from packaging for bottles and cameras to toys…

The leather originates from local farms and slaughterhouses where cows, pigs, and sheep are brought to for meat. Spaniards are not exactly big on a meat-free diet, so there are plenty skins that could be thrown out if not turned into leather.  None of the leather used in this project comes from protected or hunted animals.

As long as we eat meat, there will be skins to turn into leather products. Before crossing out leather as an eco-friendly material, we need to analyze alternatives and think of  what to do with the skins of already dead animals.

Collin from Treehugger wrote in his article about whether leather is a treehugger-friendly material, “replacing a leather product with a vinyl one won’t be doing anyone any good, so for those who simply must have it, we recommend finding it repurposed or second-hand or otherwise reused, rather than buying a virgin product, and if you absolutely, positively have to have new leather, vegetable-tanned is the only way to go”.