Vegans and Leather?!
Answers: I'm not a vegan, but I dont like eating meat, I never have but when it comes to leather I think well cows get eaten anyway so isn't it better to use all of the animal then to just take the edible and throw the rest away? Unless cows are killed specifically for the demand of leather, then I wouldn't buy it, but what is the case with leather? Is it just a left over product thats being put to use? I know it doesnt really help the cow either way, but I just wanted to know if my opinion is wrong?
Leather forms part of the profit made from a cow.
It normally equates to about 20% of the profit.
Use leather or eat meat, its all the same, you become the driving force for the industry by putting money into it.
Somewhere, there is someone eating a burger saying exactly the opposite of you....."well, they were going to make a sofa out of it anyway so why waste the meat ? "
If leather was not used, meat would be more expensive, less people would eat it, less cattle would be reared and slaughtered.
Therefore, if you use leather, you are responsible for the death of the animal.
Not saying its wrong, its up to you to decide if its ok to kill cows, but the truth of cause and effect remains.
Many veggies also avoid leather, not just vegans, and with products like these, why use leather ?
http://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/
Well, one of the major points of veganism and vegetarianism is boycotting products...
People do this to decrease the demand, which will therefore decrease the supply.
The less you buy of the cow, the less demand you'll create for the product, the less they'll make. It may not sound like much if you're just one person, but every little bit makes a difference!
As well, many veggies just don't like the idea of dead skin hanging off their body, holding their make-up, or covering their couch.
It's kinda gross when you think of it like that.
What Aki said.
Leather does come from animals who were slaughtered for meat. Skin is the most economically important co-product of the meat industry. So, the economic success of slaughterhouses and factory farms is directly linked to the sale of leather goods.
More info:
http://www.idausa.org/facts/leatherfacts...
http://www.cowsarecool.com/cows.asp
Every year, the global leather industry slaughters more than a billion animals and tans their skins and hides.(1) Many of these animals suffer all the horrors of factory farming—including extreme crowding and confinement, deprivation, and unanesthetized castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning—and cruel treatment during transport and slaughter.
Everything but the Moo
The multibillion-dollar meat industry profits from more than just animals’ flesh. The byproducts of meat consumption include fats and blood that are used in livestock feed, tires, explosives, paints, and cosmetics, organs that are used in pet food, and heart valves that are used in the pharmaceutical industry.(2,3) The skin of the animal, however, represents “the most economically important byproduct of the meat packing industry.”(4)
When dairy cows’ production declines, their skin is also made into leather. The hides of their calves, who are frequently raised for veal, are made into high-priced calfskin. The economic success of slaughterhouses and dairy farms are directly linked to the sale of leather goods.
I'm not going to let my money go as a reward for the company that supports the suffering of the animal that the skin once belonged to.
Part of veganism is a boycott that removes support of anything related to the profits of animal abusers or that contributes to the suffering of animals.
The US is a capitalist nation. This means that our dollars mean more than our actual votes. I'm not going to use my money to vote for the despicable enemy.
same by aki
well veganism is not a diet, it's a lifestyle. It is based on avoiding all possible animal products in every reasonable circumstance, including products which are tested on animals or other wise harmful to animals.
Anybody who is ethically opposed to the killing of animals for meat must also be opposed to the by-products of this process. There are vast amounts of products which are available as ingredients which are leftovers from the slaughter of animals. These include gelatine, stearic acid, rennet, and lard to name just a few. The success of the slaughter industry has been to make these by-products ubiquitous in our society, so they profit more and more from each animal which suffers and dies at their hands.
You are right to avoid leather if you want to take no part in the support of animal cruelty.