this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2024
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Processed leather generally isn't biodegradable.
Yes it is. It doesn't take 1000s of years for leather to breakdown
I think they meant the stuff applied to animal skins to make it leather. Can be done cheap and extremely dirty..
That's not the same at all. PLA-printed 3D prints don't take 1000s of years to break down, but they're very clearly not something you add to the composter.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CNQgcBUGD3g&pp=ygURdmVnYW4gbWljIGxlYXRoZXI%3D
It is though? Sure, you can't just throw it on a compost pile and wait a few weeks for it to rot away. That's why leather is processed (tanned) in the first place, otherwise it would be a pretty useless material.
But it will biodegrade. In a few years instead of thousands of years like plastics.
It depends on the process. Some processes literally make leather non-biodegradable. I'm not saying that faux leather is any better I'm just saying it's more complicated than people realise. The leather industry could certainly use some improvement.