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Question: When they make leather handbags are they cruelty-free?

(Posted by: AdrianaLuv on 2008-12-22 09:24:58)

I know this may be a stupid question because it's obviously made from the skin of a cow but in the process is it considered cruel? I want this leather purse but I'd feel really guilty carrying it around knowing this animal was killed just for this purse. & I may be a hypocrite for eating meat but this is just a purse not something that I really need even though it's very cute. So do they kill these animals in an inhumane way?

Posted by: david on 2008-12-22, 09:28:34

Yes, it is inhumane. i think you can get pretty good fake leather tho.

Posted by: lavaquerabesa on 2008-12-22, 09:31:58

That depends on the maker of the purse. Do some research and find out if that particular company has ever been in the news for animal cruelty. Where is the purse actually produced? Different countries have different laws about what is considered "inhumane, " so that alone might speak volumes. Try looking at the websites of animal rights groups like P.E.T.A. to see if they mention the company. Good luck!

Posted by: Linda S on 2008-12-22, 09:36:17

No cow is ever killed specifically for a purse. Leather is a by-product of the beef industry. Every part of the cow is used for something, meat, leather, dog food, fertilizer, industrial lubricants, there is little to no waste from a cow. The cows are unconscious when they die, they feel nothing. Leather is all natural, eco friendly and biodegradable. Leather alternatives are made of plastic, something that is harmful to the environment, toxic to humans, and the process used to extract and produce plastic from the source, crude oil, is far more deadly to animals and the environment than beef cows. And the waste produced by the plastic industry is some of the most toxic chemical waste known and harms more animals than natural sourced real leather. Buy leather, it's good for the earth and far more ethical than plastic

Posted by: ? on 2008-12-22, 09:52:09

Generally animals (cow, pig, sheep) are not killed specifically for their skin to make leather. (for fur this is different) Rather they are slaughtered for food consumption and the skin is a byproduct that is then used for to make leather products. Much more skin is produced than the demand for leather use and a lot of skin ends up used as meat filler in some food products or thrown away. Leather manufactures do not slaughter the animals themselves. If the real issue is does buying your leather purse mean more animals are killed, then no it does not, they were already killed for food consumption. So both your cheeseburger and your leather purse may have come from the same cow. As for whether the animals were killed humanely when they are killed for food consumption, there are many levels of manufacturing and probably international borders between the leather good designer/ producer and the original slaughter house and determining if they were killed cruelty free may not be an easy thing.

Posted by: Saiyuki_Anyone? on 2008-12-22, 13:38:24

If an animal is raised to be a leather product only, your answer is absolutely not. There is no such thing as killing a living thing "cruelty-free ". Death is death and it is morbid.