They are not providing their readers with a good service indeed. That is why Leather UK have been telling off Autocar. The association of English tanners has reprimanded the magazine because, when it comes to leather, they give full credence to bias of radical animal-rights activists. More specifically, they backed up PETA while focusing on the impact of veg culture on the car interior trends. “Rather than resting upon reliable sources, they only take into consideration PETA’s standpoints – criticized Kerry Senior, Leather UK general manager –. Because of it, their article turns out to be biased, since it does not provide a clean analysis of leather and its use in the automotive industry”.
What the article is about
Such was the headline of Autocar focus: “How veganism is changing the automotive industry”. Fair enough. As we said, the main sources are one of PETA’s managers and Lewis Hamilton’s conversion. In addition, aiming to make a point of it, they also gave a few recent examples of some brands’ alternative works. In such context, one could read some rather sharp sentences. For example, “Production of materials deriving from animals is toxic to our planet. Not to mention it is cruel to animals” (they literally said that!)
Leather UK scold Autocar
At this point, Kerry Senior made a plea for amendment. He got it. “Leather has been, for a long while, a synonym for luxury – he argued –. The automotive industry is one of leather’s driving sectors, as it accounts for 17% of overall manufacturing, on an annual basis”. While replying to the ones who say that leather for car interiors is getting old-fashioned, Leather UK chief manager pointed out: “The use of leather is increasing: in fact, in 1990 it used to amount to 253 million square feet; now, it currently amounts to 4 billion square feet”. Leather tanning industry has some enemies: that is the gist of it, simply. “Several group keep attacking us, by quoting and reporting false and scientifically inaccurate studies – he remarked –. They most frequently talk about the environmental effects of livestock farming. Yet, the truth of the matter is that over 90% of worldwide population eat meat, whose consumption is increasing. Leather is a by-product deriving from livestock and farming industry, while tanning is the most elegant and efficient solution: every year, they manufacture over seven million tons of leather”.
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