As a vegetarian can I wear leather?

What are the arguments for and against?


I have leather boots and watch strap but I have worn my boots almost everyday since Christmas and my watch strap has lasted and will last for ages, do you think it's better to sacrifice 1 animal and use it wisely or use synthetic/plastic products that are harmful to the environment and and don't last as long?

As a vegetarian can I wear leather?
personally, i no longer buy leather products.


i DO wear my leather products that are not worn out yet because i feel that it would be wasteful to get rid of something i already own.


it does pose a problem though, because people will often see you order a vegetarian plate on a menu and then pay for it out of your leather wallet.....people are always looking for reasons to call you a hypocrite, and wearing leather is an easy avenue for that.


whenever someone asks me about my leather shoes and purses i can at least tell them it's from before i went veg, and then they understand. i think vegetarians should avoid leather for the obvious reasons (byproduct of the beef industry) as well as the less obvious ones (giving people ammo to call vegetarians hypocritical).


in the end though, do what you want....it's your life.
Reply:Hi you might find this interesting and maybe disturbing at the same time, if you became vegetarian because of animal issues then you might be happier buying ethical alternatives.


If you dont want to throw them away, wear them until they are worn out and replace with non-leather goods.





WHAT'S WRONG WITH LEATHER?


Leather may be made from cows, pigs, goats, and sheep; exotic animals like alligators, ostriches, and kangaroos; and even dogs and cats, who are slaughtered for their meat and skins in China, which exports their skins around the world. Since leather is normally not labeled, you never really know where (or whom) it came from.


Most leather comes from developing countries like India and China, where animal welfare laws are either non-existent or not enforced. Many of the millions of cows and other animals who are killed for their skin endure the horrors of factory farming—extreme crowding and deprivation as well as castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning, all without any painkillers. In India, an investigation found that cows have their tails broken and chili peppers and tobacco rubbed into their eyes in order to force them to get up and walk after they collapse from exhaustion on the way to the slaughterhouse. At slaughterhouses, animals routinely have their throats slit and are skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious after improper stunning.





Most of the millions of animals slaughtered for their skin endure the horrors of factory farming before being shipped to slaughter, where many are skinned alive. Buying leather directly contributes to factory farms and slaughterhouses since skin is the most economically important byproduct of the meat-packing industry. Leather is also no friend of the environment since it shares all the environmental destruction of the meat industry, in addition to the toxins used in tanning.





With every pair of leather shoes that you buy, you sentence an animal to a lifetime of suffering. Instead, you can choose from hundreds of styles of nonleather shoes, clothing, belts, bags, and wallets. Fashion should be fun, not fatal!
Reply:There is no specific rule to what you should or should not do. you can be a strict vegetarian - eating no meat or fish, only eating free range eggs and non-animal tested products - or just one who cuts out the main things like meat and fish.





It really depends on why you are a vegetarian. If you believe animals should simply not be killed unnecessarily for food, then i guess you could stil believe it is ok for them to be killed for shoes you would get good use out of. i personally do not buy leather anymore and am a strict vegetarian as i have gradually become more aware of the poor treatment of animals (not just how or why they are killed). i used to cut out meat but stil buy the occassional leather product as i found it hard to start with but i have eventually got stricter and im sure you could do the same.





As long as you are not being hypocritical i think you can do what you like since you can justify your actions. Though i will say that if you care animals you should try not to buy leather since the animal is dying for your shoes. Also, i have read that even the UN (who aren't a vegetarian based organisation at all) have said that one of the greatest things a person can do for the environment is to become vegetarian. so dont feel bad about using synthetic products :)
Reply:You can wear whatever you want. There are strict ethical vegans, which don't believe in eating, using, or wearing any animal products at all. There are dietary vegans, which believe in just not eating animal products. There are vegetarians which just don't eat meat but may wear leather, eat eggs and dairy. It's all up to you.
Reply:Leather is a bi-product of the beef industry so you are only using product from an animal that has been killed for other reasons.


Animals are not killed specifically for leather (at least cows and pigs aren't).





So, where not buying beef will reduce the demand for beef, not buying leather will not reduce the number of cows and pigs killed.





I say, wear it without guilt
Reply:No way! The Society will pull your Veggie Card, and call the Veggie cops on you. :-)


I'm a vegetarian and I justify using leather this way. The cow or pig was killed for its meat, the hide is a byproduct, so why let it go to waste? If the world was 100% vegetarian I'd have to switch to synthetic, belts, watch bands and shoes.





BTW: most synthetics are made from oil, or dinosaur flesh.
Reply:I don't understand how someone can be opposed to killing a cow for his/her meat, but okay with wearing the animal's flesh. However, we all make our choices in this world.





Wear the boots and watch strap until they wear out and then replace with animal-friendly alternatives.
Reply:do you think it's fair to sacrifice one animal just to make a boot? I would go with synthetic. It's not as harmful to the environment as raising livestock for meat/leather.
Reply:I agree with you. I have a leather jacket because it is so practical and will last me a long time. I don't eat beef, but I have no problem with wearing leather.
Reply:Yes


You can eat anything you wish..


Most refuse meat in their diet but will eat eggs cheese and milk


There is no law to adhere to.


Both are a matter of choice some are extreme when announcing their choice
Reply:I've been veggie for 17 years and haven't purchase leather or suede items that entire time. I just feel if I'm not going to eat it, then I really don't feel right wearing it either.
Reply:Yes, but as a vegan you can't.



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