Key Takeaways
You have a home décor quandary . You love the look and feel ofleather , but you ’re not too great on where the textile comes from — or how much it can cost . But you really want an option with a similar look , but is n’t actually made of beast skin .
You ’re in luck . While there a lot of leather knockoffs , there is an alternative that offer up some of the welfare of the substantial thing : polyurethan ( PU ) leather .
What Is PU Leather?
PU leather isartificial leather polymermade of polyurethane , which is a type of charge card . It ’s 100 percent vegan because it has no animal skin , unlike echt leather . If you need to check that no animals were harm in the making of your products , just check that what you corrupt has no leather merge in , let in bicast leather , which does have animal skin .
accord to Dan Weller , founder of Philadelphia - basedLiberty Leather Goods , there are two types of PU leather : full - synthetic and semi - synthetic ( also sleep with as 100 percent PU leather or split leather , severally ) .
Semi - synthetic PU leatheris made of a natural leather root with a dry PU plastic mixture on top . Thefull - synthetic PU leatherfeatures a plastic covering applied over a basal fabric cloth , which is usually more credit card or polyester . Only the full synthetic choice is totally vegan . Weller says you’re able to usually calculate at the underside of the stuff to see what the base material is .
" The PU layer is often stamped with a caryopsis design to simulate the look of real leather , " he enjoin .
Is It Leather or Not?
One manner to tell the difference between material leather and PU leather is to do a water mental testing — mean dab a few drib of water on the material . unfeigned leather will suck the water supply andPU leather will not .
You also can tell the departure by looking at the fabric and inspecting it well . Real leather will show some imperfection and feature a actual grain , whereas PU leather will have an almost perfect , patterned look .
PU leather is becoming more popular , especially as people become more conscious about sustainability and fauna value-system . It ’s commonly used as upholstery — both residential and commercial-grade — including on couch , headboards , Ottoman Turk and in railcar . It ’s also being used as a style choice to leather for handbags , article of clothing and horseshoe .
PU versions tout the term " leather " — as do faux leather and vegan leather — but Weller read the name is mostly for marketing purposes .
" These are by and large 100 percent charge plate , and some vegan leather … run to be perceive as higher quality and more expensive , hence , companies can market and deal them for more , " Weller explains . " likewise , in auto upholstery , [ some ] ' leather ' seats are actually just formative , yet it sounds nicer , and then they can charge more for ' leather arse . ' "
Pros and Cons of PU Leather
plainly , PU leather is not the real thing , so you wo n’t expend as much money for it as you would on genuine leather . Weller says PU leather also is easier and faster to manufacture than the natural version . It ’s water resistant and loose to clean house , as well . This does make PU leather ideal for use of goods and services in places like kitchen and Browning automatic rifle .
But there are some disadvantages of PU leather , too . For starters , it does n’t always look like the literal thing , and it will never develop the subdued , worn - down tone of real leather . PU leather also is less flexible . That can cause cracking and shoot down over time , which mean a light life than you ’d get with genuine leather . The color can languish , too , although you ’ll get more color option than what ’s usable with real leather .
" Over fourth dimension , faux leather can dry out out and check and flake , ensue in items that can lose function , look worn and be challenging , if not unsufferable , to compensate , " Weller says .
And perhaps another reason it is called " PU " leather is that it does n’t always give off the best olfactory property . Weller says it is dependent on the fabrication summons , and some will even instill olfactory property that mimic the smell of genuine leather tomask the faux leather"fragrance . "
Which Option Is Best for the Environment?
Since PU leather is typically made from a plastic polymer , in some cases it can be reprocess . And bet on the production cognitive process , Weller say it might be less chemical intensive than some innate leather summons and might utilise fewer resources to make up .
" In this more idealistic perspective , PU leather can be made tatty and faster , " he say . " In another context , it is made of plastic ( petroleum product ) , which have negative environmental aspects from extraction and usance in materials output . "
Sciencetrends.comsays unlike real leather , polyurethane leather does n’t ask to be tan . lashing is a process that can generate defilement from the ammonia water and atomic number 24 used to make it , so that ’s a plus , too .
