TO THE EDITOR:
In the last decade, there has been a trend against the use of leather in car interiors. Bamboo as an alternative is yet another of hundreds, if not thousands, of "sustainable" vegan options that are nothing more than pure plastic ("L.A. designer wants to shake up the leather seat business," autonews.com, Jan. 19).
Every material extracted from nature has its side effects. Monocultures create problems for fungi, bacteria, insects and other small animals that rely on a diverse ecosystem for nutrition and habitat. In this case, large areas are used to plant bamboo, resulting in trees being cut down and the variety of the ecosystem being displaced.
According to the blog "Real Leather. Stay Different.": If production of leather stopped now, no fewer cows would be raised, as leather is a byproduct of the cattle industry. But 300 million hides worldwide would be sent to landfills or incinerated, causing 6.6 million metric tons of extra greenhouse gas emissions.
"We are not claiming there are no GHGs produced when leather is made, but there is a huge trade-off," the blog states. "Firstly, with the emissions that would be created if the hides were abandoned, and secondly with the emissions that would be created making the alternatives. ... The use of leather stops the creation of these emissions."
RODOLFO AMPUERO, Sales manager automotive, TFL Ledertechnik, Basel, Switzerland, TFL is a global company that produces chemicals for the leather industry and related industries.
