Why does RunRunRun use only Vegan Leather (polyurethane) on all its closures? First, animals are not harmed with vegan leather.  In manufacturing real leather, serious cruelty to animals is involved as they are made from the skin of dead animals.

But is it better for the planet?  This is a complicated answer.  We believe that the answer is "Yes, Kind Of."  In leather tanning, there is a lot of energy and toxic chemicals, like mineral salts, coal-tar derivatives, formaldehyde, oils, dyes, and finishes, some of them cyanide-based. Tannery waste contains water-fouling salt, lime sludge, sulfides, acids, and other pollutants.

RunRunRun vegan leather is made of polyurethane and is an artificial material that although doesn't go through he tanning process, it unfortunately comes from oil which creates a sustainability issue.  There are some environmental harms involved in making vegan leather, but in our analysis its significantly less than with leather and there are no animals harmed.  Overall, its the clear winner in our eyes. 

Many other designers are using vegan leather including Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Natalie Portman, Matt & Nat and many others.  Automakers Tesla, Mercedes- Benz, BMW, Lexus and Ferrari all offer vegan leather seating as well. 

SO... feel better when making the decision to wear vegan leather because its cruelty-free!

Brian Dale
Founder
Chicago