Until the late 1800s, animal skin was air-dried or salt-dried and tanned with vegetable tannins or oil, but today, animal skin is turned into finished leather with a variety of much more dangerous substances, including mineral salts, formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, and various oils, dyes, and finishes-some of them cyanide-based. Most leather is chrome-tanned. All wastes containing chromium are considered hazardous by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The waste from tanneries also includes large quantities of other pollutants, including protein, hair, salt, lime sludge, sulfides, and acids. Furthermore, a chrome-tanning facility wastes nearly 15,000 gallons of water and produces up to 2,200 pounds of "solid waste" (e.g., hair, flesh, and trimmings) for every ton of hides that it processes. Leather tanning also generates 800,000 tons of chrome shavings annually, and much of this chromium waste ends up in landfills. Because of the acknowledged hazards of leather production, the process is being discontinued in most European countries and the U.S., and operations are moving overseas.
It goes without saying, the leather industry is more harmful to the environment than the textiles, medicine, fertilizer, and paper industries and this industry directly relates to abuse and death of 100 million animals from factory farms and slaughter houses. Above all, the process of turning skin into leather is cruel to animals, some of whom are slaughtered as babies, spend their entire lives in confinement, or are skinned or boiled alive for their hides. Just as humans do, animals also have central nervous systems and therefore feel pain as we do. All animals have a right to live their lives as we do, and not as captives, slaves, food, clothing or entertainment for mankind.
Vshoen’s mission is to align ourselves with people and factories with high standards of quality, reliability and accountability. Our shoes are produced in Italy, Spain, India, Portugal, Central America, and Brazil. However, products are manufactured as local as possible. Our designers use alternative, sustainable and renewable plant-based and man-made, non-animal materials such as: ultra-suede, organic cotton, canvas, nylon, velvet, linen, cork, and a synthetic eco-lining. We are 100% vegan: no leather, fur, wool, or silk is ever used. Soles are a composite of rubber, glues are rubber-based and vegan, paint is vegan and non-toxic. Nothing is tested on animals. In addition, shipments are condensed into as few packages as possible to reduce our carbon footprint.
Vshoen believes it is vital to give back and to support organizations doing investigative and educational work towards increasing public awareness in animal rights and the environment through campaign programs, legislation, and activism. Furthermore, Vshoen shares the core beliefs of our consumers and we choose to align ourselves with manufacturers, partners and retailers who share our vision of a socially and ethically conscious planet.
Warning, graphic images; open at your discretion. Diagram courtesy of www.olsenhaus.com
It goes without saying, the leather industry is more harmful to the environment than the textiles, medicine, fertilizer, and paper industries and this industry directly relates to abuse and death of 100 million animals from factory farms and slaughter houses. Above all, the process of turning skin into leather is cruel to animals, some of whom are slaughtered as babies, spend their entire lives in confinement, or are skinned or boiled alive for their hides. Just as humans do, animals also have central nervous systems and therefore feel pain as we do. All animals have a right to live their lives as we do, and not as captives, slaves, food, clothing or entertainment for mankind.