How Leather Is Destroying The Amazon Rainforest

Have you considered the complexity of buying leather? It may seem very straight forward to either reject it or support it. However, this seemingly black or white topic is much more complex than what it appears to be on the surface. Issues relating to animal rights, environment, supply chain transparency  and policy work are all interconnected on how to decide whether to consume leather or not. 

Understanding Issues 

It is important to know how leather is made, produced and then sold to the mass markets. In addition, it is very important to stay aware of your personal values, priorities, and concerns. This will skew your decision on whether you support or reject leather use and how you’ll carry out that decision. This will be primarily contingent on your internal thinking structures and moral compass. Stay aware of your own thinking patterns to continue reflecting and analyzing your reasoning in buying certain goods in the future. In addition, note that different types of leather depend on the animal, the breed, its age and the conditions in which they lived. 

Biodiversity, Deforestation and Climate Change 

Did you know that every minute the equivalent of a football field and a half of the Amazon forest is burned? Trees are cut down for a variety of reasons that it’s causing destruction of Mother Earth’s biodiversity. In 2009, Greenpeace published Slaughtering the Amazon, a report. It stated that the demand for leather itself was contributing to the destruction of the Amazon and was not just an indirect by-product of the food industry. This is a major concern when research has discovered that cattle ranchers have NOT listened to laws protecting the Amazon, such as Brazil’s “forest code” in the past. This code maintains that rural farmers can buy land in the Amazon but can only farm 20% of it and that landowners maintain 35-80% of their property under native vegetation. What was actually happening was one hectare of rainforest was being lost every 18 seconds in the hands of ranchers. Spanning from 1993 to 2013, cattle herding grew by 200% with more than 60 million cows! 

Cattle herders continue to slash and burn the forest because of their cost benefit analysis of cattle herding versus registering as zero deforestation with brands concerned of its environmental impact. This practice is actually supported by the Brazilian government and push for the wholesale distribution of goods that are costing the world its lungs. This is because the Amazon rainforest provides 20% of the world’s oxygen and climate scientists regard it as the most valuable asset for humans in mitigating the extinction of earth. This is important because the cows herded need clear land versus rainforests and are then sold for its meat, leaving the leather as a by-product, or solely for its leather. 

Government Greed Systematically Destroying Earth

Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, and its minister, Ricardo Salles, have allowed and encouraged the fires of the Amazon rainforest. This is due to greed, political corruption and a toxic ideology of Mother Earth. Their destructive policies towards nature reflect their toxic ethos and hence their forest burns. Bolsonaro holds an extremist view of climate denial and rejects scientific facts on climate change as a hoax. One of his affirmative goals is deforestation. This means cutting down the trees or burning them to exploit the land easier. This entails displacing indigenious tribes that have lived in the rainforest for centuries. Sadly, Brazil’s past and present continues to be influenced by  rightwing evangelicals and military dictatorship with the agribusiness sector, which contributed to Bolsonaro’s win in election. This does not really leave room for environmental stewardship and sustainability development goals.

 In addition, Bolsonaro has campaigned in exploiting the Amazon rainforest, thus its rapid destruction. In 2019, New York Times reported that the National Institute for Space Research documented there were 39,194 fires. This was a 77% increase compared to 2018. These forest fires have engulfed Sao Paulo with smoke, turning broad daylight into destructive darkness. The smoke blocks any light from coming in and the only brightness left is the hope that Brazil’s new government can stop human kind's destructive behavior. 

Supply Chain Ambiguity 

Leather production is a globalized affair that is affected by conditions which include the availability of animals, cheap labor, capital and regulatory frameworks. Most of the production, processing, importing and and exporting is located OUTSIDE of Europe, the exception being with Italy. The world’s #1 producer, processor, importer and exporter of leather and leather goods is actually China. 

No matter knowing the country's source, the leather supply chain lacks transparency. It is quite confusing and mysterious how products are sourced, and produced throughout the supply chain process. It is normal for brands to have NO IDEA where and how their leather came about to be.  The following are phases in the leather supply chain: 

Cultural Blindness

Lastly, there is a willing blindness to the grave truth from both the Brazilian government and consumers around the world. There are serious detrimental consequences of every purchase not made in consideration of nature, including its animals. Without the end of consuming meat, it will be hard to completely stop the leather industry. Over-consumption of the meat industry will continue to produce massive amounts of leather by-products. The decision is whether it is a lesser evil to produce and consume leather versus hides rotting to waste if animals were killed primarily for their meat. Sadly, the leather issue will continue to persist with the increased consumption of meat and demand for quality leather. Consequently, the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest will continue and therefore leather will be part of climate change and the loss of biodiversity. If we don’t recognize this surprisingly linear logic, we will continue to see Mother Earth destroyed at a pace never experienced before.

In terms of Brazil, supporters of Bolsonaro emulate his extremist ideals and thus find value in burning forests. This effectively spreads his contempt to the indigenous tribes living in the rainforest. They are displaced with violence, which includes death. This greed, hunger for profit and blind violence is destroying us all. If we don’t recognize that this is not a sustainable, long-term strategy for humans and all life on earth, our extinction will be inevitable. There is a need for further pressure from environmental organizations and consumer activism and a shift in dietary changes and lifestyle adoptions. In addition, we need greater governmental responsibility of listening to the truth. Denying the truth of climate change, excusing ignorance for bad shopping habits and being selfish because of picky taste buds will keep us in willful ignorance. 

We have privilege, we have the capacity for empathy and we have the power to create change. If others won't act, what will you do? Our earth is burning.

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