No, animals are NOT usually killed to make leather. LeatherNaturally.org reports that 99% of the worlds leather comes from animals raised for food. Leather is typically a secondary product of the meat and dairy industry. The process using leftover hides to create leather is part of a highly sustainable process known as upcycling.
In fact, According to USLeather.org and One4Leather.org, the hide of the animal accounts for slightly above 1% of the entire value of the animal. It would not be practical to kill an animal just to produce a product that accounts for such a small percentage of the animal’s value. As long as consumers eat meat, there will be leftover hides. These hides can either be wasted and thrown into a landfill or they can be used to make a beautiful product such as leather car seats, furniture, shoes, handbags, purses, wallets and so much more! According to LeatherNaturally.org, Modern leather manufacturing actually recycles more than 270 million cow hides per year, saving landfills from over 7.5 million tons of waste annually! Leather honors the life of the animal by ensuring the hide does not go to waste.
Sources
By-product or not? the truth about leather. (n.d.). One 4 Leather.
https://www.one4leather.com/article/is-leather-more-than-a-by-product-of-the-meat-industry
Leather Naturally. (n.d.).
https://www.leathernaturally.org/Latest/Featured-Articles/Featured-Articles/Are-animals-killed-for-leather
Sothmann, S. (n.d.). U.S. cattle hide value declines significantly in wake of COVID-19. LHCA.
http://www.usleather.org/press/US_Cattle_Hide_Value_Declines_Significantly
Benefits of leather. (n.d.). Leather Naturally.
https://www.leathernaturally.org/About-Leather/Properties-of-leather
