The new leather shoe line from Ellen Degeneres isn’t garnering this comedian and talk show host any laughs from vegan fans. With the introduction of animal products to her clothing line, ED, the former animal rights supporter, has seemingly committed the ultimate act of betrayal and is now facing serious scrutiny from fans and the media.

To some, this situation may seem like no big deal. In fact, many consumers may be looking forward to seeing the new leather shoe line from Ellen Degeneres without understanding the impact of her decision. For those of you who already have a grasp on the devastating effects of buying leather in any manner, we feel this is the perfect opportunity to inform those who do not.

According to One Green Planet, “the global leather industry slaughters over one billion animals every year,” and cows are not the only victims on the roster. Pigs, goats, sheep, exotic animals, and even cats and dogs, who are used for their skin and fur in China, are unjustly slaughtered and used for their coats. And because leather sources are not labeled, it would be nearly impossible to know if your shoes are made from sheepskin or dog skin.

Also alarming is the unnecessary cruelty that these animals have to endure in order to become the products we purchase. PETA claims that most leather comes from developing countries where animal welfare laws are not upheld or do not exist.

“In the U.S., 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 painkillers,” says PETA. Additionally, many animals regularly have their throats cut and are even dismembered while still conscious.

If these sorts of atrocities happen in American factory farms, imagine the laws, or lack-there-of, in Brazil, where some of Ellen Degeneres’ leather shoes are made, according to the Bergdorf Goodman retail site. With a little digging, it’s evident that more than just animals are being harmed in the process of harvesting leather.

The human welfare of the factory farm and leather tanning employees in the United States, as well as underdeveloped countries, like the modern day slaves in places like Brazil, falls to the wayside and is oftentimes intentionally disregarded in the name of profit.

Not only are factory farm and tanning workers subject to a high rate of injury and illness, but the people living nearby, as well as the surrounding environment, are subject to extreme toxicity and pollution, too. Cancer is prevalent among workers and neighboring townspeople, and the devastating pollution from the waste run-off from factory farms and the chemical VOCs from the leather tanning process are enough to ultimately destroy adjacent land and life.

When someone like Ellen Degeneres has made the commitment to being an outspoken vegan, it’s usually something that is not taken lightly – especially considering the initial dedication and planning involved in such a life improving transition – which is why it comes as such a shock to fans how easy it is for Ellen to forget her personal standards and ethics in the name of profit, much like the factory farming and leather tanning industries.

Although it’s difficult to predict the future success of Ellen Degeneres’ apparel, shoe, and home goods line, ED, we hope that this incident, like so many other celebrity snafus, doesn’t simply get swept under the rug.

Accountability is difficult to come by these days, especially in Hollywood, so in an attempt to right her wrongs and hopefully halt the damage that’s being done by the new addition to her brand, we urge you, Ellen Degeneres, to put a stop to your leather shoe line and attempt to provide restitution for the damage done, or, at the very least, stop lying to the public by claiming to live a vegan lifestyle – it’s an injustice to people and animals everywhere.

Now that you’ve gotten the scoop on the scandal, we want to hear from you. What’s your take on the new leather shoe line from Ellen Degeneres? Do you believe she’s betraying fans and doing a disservice to the vegan lifestyle? What would you like to see Ellen do in order to rectify the situation? Let us know your thoughts on the EcoSalon Facebook page.

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Image of Calf from Shutterstock

The post Seriously…No Kidding: New Leather Shoe Line from So-Called Vegan Ellen Degeneres appeared first on EcoSalon.

The commercial leather industry is a pollutive, toxic and unjust, environmental hazard that can only change by awareness, choice and demand.

Leather is a controversial topic that has turned into a material often avoided by those who want to lead sustainable lifestyles and make conscious consumption choices. But most of us use leather on a daily basis, even if we don’t immediately recognize it. Leather is used in shoes, bags, wallets, garments (even as detailing), gloves, jewelry, books (in covers and binding), iPod or laptop sleeves, furniture, car interiors and even sports equipment. Leather is undoubtedly an amazing material that can provide numerous uses and can act as a sustainable resource to utilize once an animal passes, but the current leather industry is a far cry from an environmentally sound and just trade.

Most of the leather used in the products mentioned above is a by-product of the tremendously destructive beef industry. Cowhide accounts for 66 percent of annual leather production, and is harvested from the more than one billion cows that are slaughtered each year. These cows are often raised as beef or dairy cattle, while other types of leather come from pigs, sheep, goats and horses.

Commercial beef farming can be considered one of the most environmentally dangerous forms of agriculture that our country, and the rest of the world, is heavily invested in. It is incredibly resource-consuming, releases immense amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, generates tons of waste that ends up contaminating precious groundwater and soil. It eats up far too much of the world’s grain and water, and requires fossil fuels for fertilization and transportation.  And that doesn’t even cover the issue of animal treatment, which is not a sunny story.

After slaughtering, the hides of these animals are sold to tanneries for leather production. Tanning is another dirty business, which has been disdained as one of the filthiest jobs in our history. Brain tanning is the traditional method for achieving the softest leather, but both brains and animal feces were used in a very unsanitary way in the tanneries until the early 20^th century. This caused tannery workers to be considered so foul that they were excluded from society and banished to the outskirts of town and cities.

Modern tanning methods use substantial amounts of noxious chemicals that leach into waterways, soils and the air. Chromium, which is linked to cancer, eye damage, ulcerations and facial sores,  is the most commonly used tanning material and employed in 90 percent of tanneries worldwide. Chromium tanning one hide only takes about a day to complete, providing producers with a quick, low cost and effective method of leather manufacturing.

The chromium tanning process involves an initial pickling soak, which contains acids and salts (that kill beneficial organisms and bacteria in soil and waterways) and then a chromium sulphate bath, which softens the hide and protects it from decay and moisture. After these soaks the hides must be wrung out, creating copious amounts of waste water containing toxic mixtures of chemicals solvents, sulphites, heavy metals and salts. Added to the debris are animal hairs, hide scraps, skins and excess fat, causing solid waste to make up over 70 percent of the wet weight of raw hides. All of this untreated waste carries pathogens in it, posing a great risk for both environmental and human health.

According to the EPA there are approximately 111 tanneries in the U.S. that are subject to environmental and animal protections standards, although 90 percent of these tanneries do use chromium tanning processes. However, most of the world’s leather comes from South Asia, Central and South America, where tanneries are informal, unregulated and don’t have proper waste water treatment facilities. For example, the tanning center of Hazaribagh in Bangladesh has over 200 separate tanneries, which produce a total of over 2 million gallons of wastewater and 88 million tons of solid waste per year. Due to the health hazards of tanning processes, the Worst Polluted Project estimates that 1.8 million lives are at severe risk because of chromium pollution.

The Luhu Envelope Sleeve by Looptworks is made entirely out of recycled leather.

Leaving leather and meat out of our purchases has become the solution for some, but is not the only answer to preventing this destructive activity. There are labels that source their leather responsibly, such as Calleen Cordero, Jypsea Leathergoods and larger brands partnering with the Leather Working Group to change the leather industry.  Some leatherworkers produce their own handmade leather, using traditional brain tan or completely natural vegetable tanning processes, if you make your own leather goods. Etsy is a particularly good platform for finding hand worked leather items and responsibly tanned leather material. A fantastic choice is reclaimed and upcycled leather; check out Poketo’s and reMade USA’s beautiful bags made from leather jackets, Looptworks’ amazing iPad sleeve made from recycled leather, Olga Road’s rockin, upcycled leather jackets and Platinum Dirt’s chic clutches made from car interiors. You don’t have to give up leather, just kick the chromium and animal cruelty out of the equation!

Images: Funky Tee, krebsmaus07, Chrissy Olson, }{enry, Looptworks

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