A complete guide to bonded leather vs real leather vs faux leather

I. What are Genuine Leather, Recycled Leather, and Artificial Leather?

Genuine Leather

It is a natural leather made from animal hides through a series of sophisticated processing steps. Cowhide and sheepskin are the most common. Due to its natural texture and durability, genuine leather is often used to make high-end leather products, such as Hermès' Birkin bags, Kelly bags, Zanaboni's Italian leather sofas, and Fendi's leather clothing. These products are highly sought after globally for their superior quality and exquisite craftsmanship., genuine leather however. leather is not uniform, and there are significant differences in its quality. If consumers are not aware of the details, they may easily spend a high price but end up with inferior products.

In the quality hierarchy of genuine leather, full-grain leather undoubtedly occupies the top of the pyramid. It is taken from the outermost layer of cowhide, retaining the natural grain layer, and is the premium representative of genuine leather. Full-grain leather is mainly divided into three major categories: full-grain (full-grain green leather), semi-grain (semi-grain green leather), and corrected grain leather. In addition, embossed leather, suede leather, waxed leather, etc., also belong to the category of full-grain leather, but they are relatively rare in the market.

Corrected grain leather is the entry-level in full-grain leather. Its raw materials are usually cowhides with more surface damage, which require multiple sprayings of thick coatings with a spray gun to cover obvious scars and defects. Although this treatment improves the appearance, it also brings drawbacks. Due to the thick coating, the leather's breathability deteriorates, and after 3 to 5 years of use, the coating is prone to peeling and color Fading, making post-maintenance difficult.

Semi-grain leather belongs to medium quality. The raw materials have relatively fewer surface scars when taken off, and only require mild coating modification to show a better texture. This treatment retains part of the natural grain texture, which not only makes the leather more beautiful but also significantly improves its durability. Under normal use conditions, its lifespan can reach up to 10 years.

Full-grain leather is the "king" of full-grain leather, belonging to the top-quality leather selected from a hundred. Its surface has almost no scars, no additional coating modification is needed, the natural texture is clearly visible, the touch is soft and delicate, emitting a high-class texture. Most full-grain leather uses vegetable tanning process, processed with vegetable tanning agents. This process not only gives the leather excellent aging resistance but also gradually forms a unique patina on the leather surface over time, becoming more beautiful with age, thus becoming the preferred material for high-end leather goods.

Recycled Leather

As an innovative material that recycles waste from traditional leather manufacturing, it has gradually emerged in recent years under the general trend of environmental protection and sustainable development. Its birth not only solves the disposal problem of a large amount of scraps and scraps generated during the genuine leather manufacturing process but also provides the market with a relatively economical material option with a certain leather texture.

In terms of raw material composition, recycled leather is mainly composed of scraps and fibers remaining from genuine leather manufacturing. These scraps come from the parts cut off during the processing of raw hides such as cowhide and sheepskin in tanneries, as well as the scraps generated in the leather product production. To recombine these scattered raw materials, polyurethane adhesives are added. First, the genuine leather scraps are crushed and ground into fibers fine, and then fully mixed with adhesives such as polyurethane. The adhesive acts like "glue," tightly "pulling" these fibers together. Then, through operations such as rolling, they are initially shaped and then pasted on a paper backing to further enhance their structural stability.

In terms of appearance and texture shaping, recycled leather usually adds a plastic (polyurethane) coating and undergoes embossing treatment. This process aims to imitate the texture of genuine leather, making recycled leather closer to natural leather in vision and touch. However, if observed carefully, one can find the difference between it and genuine leather. Genuine leather has a naturally formed pore structure, which is a legacy physiological characteristic for breathing and sweating on animals, while the surface of recycled leather does not have such natural pores. At the same time, recycled leather will not leave the natural and beautiful gloss changes and aging traces like top-layer cowhide over time. But undeniably, to a certain extent, it can still present a quite realistic leather texture.

It is worth noting that the proportion of genuine leather components in most recycled leather is only between 10% and 20%. In terms of quality grade, recycled leather is in the mid-low end of the overall leather material system. Compared with high-quality artificial leather, it has gaps in strength, durability, and some delicate texture performances. For example, high-end artificial leather can simulate the softness and elasticity very close to genuine leather through advanced processes. However, compared with a large number of ordinary-quality artificial leathers on the market, recycled leather has certain advantages. Ordinary artificial leather often has a rigid texture and poor breathability, while recycled leather contains some genuine leather fibers, so it is relatively better in breathability and touch. Moreover, in terms of environmental protection, recycled leather uses genuine leather waste, reducing resource waste and the use of new raw materials, which has a positive environmental significance.

From a performance analysis, recycled leather is generally thick, which is determined by its manufacturing process and raw material characteristics. The thick leather body affects its strength to a certain extent, making it less strong and unsuitable for making leather products such as shoe uppers that need to bear relatively large external forces and bending. However, in other product fields where the strength requirement is relatively low and more attention is paid to shaping and appearance, recycled leather has found its application. For example, it is very suitable for making affordable briefcases, trolley bags, cue cases and other shaping process products. Such products require materials to have a certain shape retention ability, and the thick leather body and relatively stable structure of recycled leather can meet this requirement. In addition, affordable leather belts are also a common application scenario for recycled leather. Its surface can be processed through embossing and other processes to present a texture similar to genuine leather, meeting the basic appearance requirements of consumers.

In the production process, although recycled leather realizes the recycling of genuine leather waste, there are also some potential problems. For example, if the adhesives used contain harmful chemical substances, they may slowly release during the use of the product, causing harm to human health. At the same time, after being discarded, they will also bring pollution risks to the environment. However, with the development of technology and the deepening of environmental protection concepts, the industry is constantly exploring more environmentally friendly and healthy adhesives and production processes to improve the quality and sustainability of recycling leather.

Artificial Leather

It is a material that imitates the performance and appearance of natural leather through chemical or physical methods. It can be seen everywhere in life, from sofas, car seats to clothes and bags. But it is like a double-edged sword, with both advantages and disadvantages. We can understand it deeply from multiple perspectives.

Artificial leather has positive significance in environmental protection. Bio-based artificial leather uses renewable resources such as pineapple leaves and mycelium as raw materials, which can reduce the dependence on animal leather, reduce carbon emissions from animal husbandry, and avoid animal slaughter. Moreover, water-based PU artificial leather uses water instead of organic solvents, reducing the emission of volatile organic compounds during the production process and protecting the atmospheric environment.

However, artificial leather also has environmental controversies. The plasticizers used in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) artificial leather, such as phthalates, may pollute soil and water sources. Ordinary PU artificial leather and PVC artificial leather are mostly made of non-degradable plastics, which will form white pollution after being discarded and remain in the natural environment for hundreds of years without decomposition. Among them, the synthetic artificial leather called "vegan leather" has caused many controversies.

"Vegan leather" is often marketed by merchants as a "cruelty-free" moral label, but Amy Powney, the creative director of Mother of Pearl, points out that this is to a large extent a "marketing disaster." This kind of synthetic vegan leather is mostly made of petroleum-based plastic polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The production process involves fossil fuel extraction, which will generate a huge carbon footprint. After use, it will face problems such as landfilling, incineration, or decomposition into microplastics, polluting soil, water sources, and the atmosphere, and causing harm to wild animals and ecosystems. In addition, many plant-based leathers on the market today also use a certain amount of plastic resins, glues, or coatings to meet performance standards, resulting in products that cannot be recycled or composted, also having environmental hidden dangers.

In terms of performance, artificial leather has outstanding advantages. Microfiber PU artificial leather has high strength and good wear resistance. Its durability even exceeds that of natural leather, making it particularly suitable for making car seats and high-end sofas. It can also present rich colors and textures through process adjustment to meet personalized design needs.

However, artificial leather also has limitations. PVC artificial leather has poor breathability. When made into clothing or seats, it will make people feel stuffy after long-term use. Moreover, its aging resistance is weak. Under sunlight exposure or high-temperature environments, it is easy to harden, fade, and crack. In addition, compared with natural leather, artificial leather lacks natural texture changes and touch, and lacks a unique texture during use. Even plant-based leather has performance shortcomings. For example, the mixture of natural materials and plastics is prone to coating peeling due to low chemical compatibility, and its durability and mechanical strength are inferior to traditional leather.

The cost advantage of artificial leather is obvious. PVC artificial leather has low raw material prices and mature production processes, and can be mass-produced at a low price to meet the public's demand for leather products. Moreover, the production of artificial leather is not restricted by the animal growth cycle, with stable output and the ability to quickly respond to market demands.

However, low-cost production also brings hidden dangers. Some manufacturers use inferior raw materials and harmful chemical substances in production to reduce costs. For example, some PVC artificial leathers contain harmful substances such as formaldehyde and heavy metals, which will slowly release during use and endanger human health. If the wastewater and waste gas generated during the production process are not effectively treated, they will also cause pollution to the environment. The processing chemicals used in the production of plant-based leather may also contain banned harmful chemical substances.

Artificial leather is widely used and plays an important role in fields such as luggage, furniture, and car interiors. In the luggage industry, mid-low-end products use a large amount of PVC artificial leather and ordinary PU artificial leather, reducing costs while providing a variety of styles. In car interiors, microfiber PU artificial leather and water-based PU artificial leather not only ensure high-grade texture but also meet environmental protection requirements.

However, in some high-end and professional fields, artificial leather still cannot replace natural leather. In the high-end leather goods market, consumers prefer the unique texture, breathability, and patina effect of natural leather over time. In fields that require special performance, such as professional sports gloves and high-end musical instrument accessories, natural leather has obvious advantages in flexibility, breathability, and durability. Although plant-based leather has made efforts in sustainability, it is still difficult to fully meet market demands due to performance and durability issues.

Artificial leather is a "double-edged sword." While meeting market demands and promoting industrial development, it also brings environmental and health problems. With technological development, new environmentally friendly materials such as bio-based artificial leather and water-based PU artificial leather are emerging. In the future, artificial leather is expected to gradually overcome its shortcomings and achieve more sustainable development while maintaining its advantages.