PETA APPROVED VEGAN

Our path to vegan leather

A guiding principle

Many of us still think of genuine leather as the ultimate premium choice. It is considered robust and durable - and therefore sustainable. But in the interests of sustainability, shouldn't we simply consume less and choose ethical, animal-friendly alternatives?

How can we be sustainable and animal-friendly?

This question kept us busy for a very long time. We went to the Italian leather trade show in Milan, exchanged ideas with tanneries about their latest processes, talked to product developers and sustainable brands, looked at plant-based leather alternatives and tested them based on our needs.\n\n During this time, it became increasingly clear to us that every choice of material brings with it its own strengths and challenges. The answer lay in a very fundamental decision: what values are most important to us as a brand? And then we weighed up the pros and cons of each material:

Vegan leather

In recent years, the term 'vegan leather' has become more and more common. It is used both at trade shows and by recognised organisations like PETA. This material not only looks like animal leather, but also feels like it. That's why the term 'leather' is still used as a reference. The key difference, of course, is that the material is completely free of animal components. This includes animal glues or binding agents, of course.
Vegan leather can be made from polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane or, for example, purely plant-based components such as pineapple leaves, cork, corn, apple peels, grapes and other fruit waste. At first glance, this sounds very appealing, if it wasn't for the fact that some of these plant-based alternatives require valuable agricultural land that could otherwise be used to produce food for local people. In addition, many of these purely plant-based solutions are not robust enough, so they cannot be used for our products. And you would think that plant-based qualities would completely avoid chemical ingredients, right? Unfortunately, these are usually PU-coated to refine their surface with a water-repellent, scratch-resistant layer. So although the products are vegan, they are unfortunately not as sustainable as they seem at first glance.

Animal leather

It is a widespread assumption that leather is a bi-product of the meat industry. However, a large proportion of hides now come from Asia and Latin America because the demand for leather is still growing. This means unnecessarily long transport routes from breeding, to tanning, to further processing and finally to distribution. It also results in special care being taken during breeding to ensure that the animal's skin remains as free as possible from scratches or wounds. For the animal, this means no exercise and poor living conditions.
The production of genuine leather also involves numerous challenges. Firstly, production is extremely resource-intensive. This applies both to the large area required for animal husbandry and the considerable amount of energy required for further processing. Another significant factor is the high water consumption. Just imagine: an incredible 500 litres of water is needed to tan one square meter of leather.
One of the most common tanning processes is chrome salt tanning. The problem is that these salts can oxidise to carcinogenic chromium VI (in high heat, such as in shop windows). This can cause severe allergies. More environmentally friendly, vegetable tanning processes do exist, but are often not used because they are more expensive and only allow for a very limited, earthy color palette.

Our conclusion

Animal leather is considered robust and durable, but it comes with significant ethical and environmental challenges - from animal cruelty to resource-intensive production processes.

Plant-based vegan leather is an animal-friendly alternative, but it still shows weaknesses in terms of durability and often requires the use of chemical additives.

This is why, after carefully considering every option, we made the very conscious choice to use a high-quality vegan PU leather that meets our high standards of quality and durability. This material not only respects animal welfare, but it also enables us to create fashionable products that offer you versatile colours and structures while minimising our impact on the environment.

Our decision is based on the belief that right now, we can create the most beautiful, highest quality products from PU leather. Without harming a single animal - or losing sight of new innovations.

What does PETA-Approved mean?

We are proud of this very conscious decision. MRSÉY is officially "PETA-Approved Vegan"!

The "PETA-Approved Vegan" certification is a rigorous testing process, in which our products and their manufacturing processes are checked for the absence of animal ingredients and animal testing.

EXPLORE PRODUCTS

Our vegan leather grains

When we created MRSÉY, we wanted to bring you not just a functional iPhone case, but a fashion accessory. While other cases made of silicone, plastic or rubber are sporty and technical, we wanted to offer you a more feminine alternative. Something that you can wear to work and in your free time, that fits well into your look and allows you to respond to different trends.

Lambskin

Fancy a wild guess what our lambskin grain is based on? Correct! We took inspiration from lambskin nappa. Thanks to its smooth surface, the lambskin look suits intense, seasonal colours particularly well. They can be the star of the show without any distraction from a pattern throwing shade.

Pebbled

Pebbled leather looks exactly like you would imagine. In keeping with classic cowhide leather, it has a finely structured surface. Thanks to its classic look, major bag designers like to use pebbled leather for their casual lines, hobo bags and softly constructed shapes. It's considered particularly feminine because it's very soft and cascades particularly beautifully.

Saffiano

Even in the case of genuine leather, Saffiano is not a natural grain. It's an artificially embossed surface structure that is hardened with the help of varnish. Its characteristic cross-hatch pattern was originally developed by Prada but gradually other brands have been coming up with their own relief prints.

Croco

Yep, the croco grain imitates the natural texture of crocodile leather. And if you like things a little more eye-catching, the croco grain is the right choice for you. The imitation of the different sized skin plates, the contrast of shiny and matt and the different colour-shades will bring plenty of movement to your look.

Lizard

Inspired by nature, the different sizes of a lizard's scales give this grain particular depth and elegance. In contrast to croco, the lizard structure looks a little more graphic and is ideal to add a unique depth to subtle colours. Particularly edgy, it gives classic, supposedly boring shades that certain something.

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