As the world becomes more eco-conscious, there is a growing demand for products made from sustainable materials. One of the biggest areas where this is happening is in textiles and leather.
Leather is a classic material that never goes out of style. It’s durable, it’s stylish and it just looks good. But it also has a major drawback — it’s not eco-friendly at all.
Leather starts with cattle, which can only be harvested once in their lifetime, making them one of the least renewable resources available to us. We’ve taken great strides as a species to reduce our environmental impact and make sure we’re living in harmony with nature as much as possible, but leather has always had an obvious problem with that philosophy.
Leatherette is the imitation of leather in the form of a fabric, or the material itself. It’s a composite material made of paper and cotton layers, on top of which a protective polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer is added. The PVC layer makes leatherette more resistant to heat, water, and chemicals. The name “leatherette” was first used in 1914 as a trademark by the Emco Chemical Company of New York City.
Leatherette is relatively inexpensive and has many uses, including upholstery and clothing. It comes in different thicknesses and colors. This fabric can be cut using die-cutting tools with sharp steel blades.
Faux leather is similar to leatherette but made entirely out of synthetic materials. This material first appeared in commercial markets during the late 1960s and early ’70s when it was sold as a substitute for leather or vinyl in automotive interiors. Faux leather has since been used in furniture, clothing and accessories.
Leatherette is a synthetic leather that is made by bonding a microfiber cloth to a plastic backing. And faux leather is any material that looks like or imitates leather. Faux leather products are made from microfiber cloth bonded to a plastic backing, vinyl, or other materials.
Leatherette is considered a high-quality imitation leather product and has become very popular in the furniture industry over the past several years. It is used in the manufacturing of many types of furniture including sofas, recliners, ottomans and chairs. Leatherette is also commonly used to cover car interiors and other automobile accessories. It can be found on handbags, briefcases, shoes, luggage and other accessories as well.
Faux leather products are typically less expensive than leatherette products because of their lower quality construction. They are still popular in furniture manufacturing and are most often used for office chairs, stools, benches and other seating items. Other uses for faux-leather include handbags, luggage and clothing accessories such as belts and wallets.
