2y ago

YSK: The term "Genuine Leather", it is not to reassure you that their product is made of leather, rather its the name of the lowest grade of leather a company can use.

Why YSK: The term "Genuine Leather" is a marketing term to sell the lowest quality leather possible.

When purchasing a leather product, look for full grain leather or top grain leather instead. These will provide a much higher quality cut of leather that will look and feel much better and last for much longer.

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79 comments

Not quite. The truth is, there is no universally recognized grades of leather. But when bragging about quality, genuine leather is the lowest bar they can go (other than bonded leather, which isn’t fully leather but just a veneer over fabric.
Full grain or top grain is generally what you want.
https://lifehacker.com/what-genuine-leather-really-means-1850309049
Also, some are concerned about the use of an animal product. The vast majority of leather is a byproduct of the beef industry. It is skin that would otherwise go to waste. And it is also far more environmentally friendly a material than many alternatives, which are often made of plastics.
- Yeah, honestly you should buy leather products based on brands than on description of "genuine" leather.
  And agree, real leather is a much better alternative to the ridiculous amount of micro-plastic synthetic leather generates, especially since it'll last you decades if you maintain it well.
  
  Leather made from animal flesh is far worse for the planet than pleather, but if you're really worried, you could just forgo both
  
  https://twitter.com/jan_dutkiewicz/status/1645867376381169665?t=w7mjq-VuWZB6TAudzs7A9g&s=19
  
  I think this is a good point and well sourced; however, it doesn’t take into account the longevity of the product, which is also important. Best practice is probably to thrift existing leather products since we already have so much material in circulation.
- It's the industry recapturing some of its costs by reducing waste. That's still supporting the industry.
  
  We applauded Native Americans for using every part of the animal, yet when we do it today somehow it’s a bad thing.
  The skins are there rather you like the industry or not. Better to use them than throw them in a landfill.
  
  By your logic, why don't we flay off the skins of all dead people and wear those too? They're just going to waste!
  I'm opposed to the animal killing industry and all of its various outgrowths. The less money that can be made from it, the less money will be invested into the industry in the first place. If the skins end up in a landfill, that's lost revenue that makes the industry suffer. Putting money in the pockets of these businesses just lets them reinvest. Stop trying to portray your choice to wear skin as somehow the more ethical one and preach from some imaginary moral high ground.
  
  I'd genuinely prefer if my family turned my remains into a fucking backpack instead of paying thousands of dollars to put them on a cushioned box in the ground
  
  It really is like I never left Reddit
  
  Why not indeed! Its a travesty that Im not allowed to make a wallet out of grandpa’s dead ass!

79 comments