Leather:A Global Killer

The leather industry is a global killer. Purchasing the skins of cows raised in the U.S. likely paid for the horrors of factory farming, including castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning—all without any painkillers. Leather sourced from developing countries such as India and China may have caused untold suffering—such as the dismemberment of cows while they were still conscious—since animal welfare laws there are either non-existent or not enforced. Tanning, the process of turning skin into leather, requires massive amounts of energy and dangerous chemicals, including formaldehyde and coal-tar derivatives, which can end up in nearby water supplies and soil. These toxic chemicals pose a deadly risk for those who work at the tanneries and for humans and animals who live nearby. Learn more about the leather industry's victims around the world: