The Carbon Footprint of Leather: A Comprehensive Reassessment Using Global Livestock Data and Meta-Analysis

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Product designers and manufacturers lack robust and regionally representative information on the greenhouse gas (GHG) or “carbon” footprints of leather textiles. This study presents a meta-analysis of carbon footprints from life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of bovine leather and some increasingly common nonanimal or “vegan” leather alternatives. We also present a novel “top-down” method for estimating GHG emissions from bovine leather’s farming phase, utilizing data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and economic allocation literature to address common LCA limitations. The revised analysis produces a farming-phase carbon footprint that is more than double that of prior estimates. Consequently, the total bovine leather carbon footprint is 187.1 (148.1−214.5 IQR) kg CO 2 eq/kg finished leather, more than twelve times greater than that of vegan leather at 14.9 (10.1−19.5 IQR) kg CO 2 eq/kg finished leather.