leather sofas

[greeniegogo415]

Hey everyone! I am transitioning into a vegan using baby steps and the only non vegan product im eating now is honey, but I am slowly cutting that out now. BUT I live with a meateating family, with not too much money. The sofas that we have are leather. Do I need too sit on the floor? Do I need to get new sofas? All help would be amazing! Thank you. Xx

 

[Sally]

We have quite old leather sofas from when we had a cat with a bladder problem. We are not replacing them any time soon. I have not bought anything made of wool or leather or silk for years now, but am not throwing out what I have. I'm vegan for the animals, the health benefits are a bonus, but we don't have the money to replace everything we own that is not vegan. When our non-vegan stuff wears out we'll replace it with vegan stuff.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I reccomend you keep the sofas and replace when they wear out.I've seen these threads come up a number of times on this and other forums and most vegans agree with it being Ok to continue to use non-vegan products purchased previously. Getting rid of the sofa will not benefit anyone in any way at this stage, and buying another one will actually cause more pollution to be emitted and more resources to be consumed unecessarily, so it may even be slighlty more ethical to keep the current one until worn out.

The only issue I can see is if you have guests at your house and you explain you're vegan but have leather sofas it might need an extra sentence of explanation, but not that big a deal. You could consider covering the sofas with those covers that go on sofas (forget what they are called).

You only need to get rid of the sofas if you personally feel really uncomfortable about it. It sounds like that's not the case.

 

[Annabellam]

I absolutely agree with Jamie. I wouldn't recommend for you to replace them and especially if they are not worn out, plus you had got them previously. It all depends on how you really feel deep down.

 

[Connie]

Ask yourself a question. Veganism often runs alongside ideas like conservation, recycling and sustainability. For me things like recycling, and more importantly reuse and sustainability are more important. As is saving the planet and looking after my own health. After all, if I'm not here, I can't do much or make any difference.

So sitting on the floor, it's all great whilst you are young enough and able. And I did for decades by choice but only because I found it more comfortable than a sofa (I found out why just over 2 years ago when I became permanently disabled) but there comes a line drawn in the sand where recycling and sustainability meet veganism and you need to decide which side you are standing or sitting on.

Personally I'm on the former. I refuse to throw away perfectly good woollen clothing decades old just because it doesn't meet with the concept of veganism. Continuing to use it, reuse wool in blankets (yarn often comes from petroleum based products anyway and I would rather wool decades old than petroleum or petrochemical products), old leather or suede items I had previously, items such as carpets etc is far more environmentally friendly than any other option.

Plus you need to decide where that line is drawn for other ideas. Paint on walls (petrochemical) , floor wood varnish (bees wax or petrochemical), cars or public transport (just take your pick), medication (anything from petrochemical to animal products), colours (anything...) all of these items either are non-vegan or don't support an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Afterall, veganism isn't just being kinder to animal (animal welfare features highly), it's a more sustainable lifestyle and that includes things like not flying unnecessarily and pursuing a more sustainable lifestyle.
So, next time the sofa needs replacing, considering something with cotton, bamboo, hemp, linen or some other plant made covers, but don't forfeit your health to get to that point.

 

[Maxine Danko]

Yeah, I agree with Jamie. If you have a well-maintained leather sofa, do not replace it until they wear out. By doing this you can yourself save much of your money by avoiding the costly purchase. Or else if you want to live a total vegan life, switch to patio chairs and table made from high-quality wood. My cousin has just purchased a new design patio set from the site here that too at an affordable price. If you are thinking to replace the furniture after they are worn out, then you should definitely try these patio set.

 

[veganDreama]

Hello and welcome! Congratulations for going vegan. If you feel bad about sitting on the skin of a dead animal get a towel and put that over the sofa where you sit. There is not a lot more you can do.

 

[hopeful]

I agree with the other posters. I think it would make more sense to wait until the couch wears out, then replace it with a vegan couch or chairs. Also, I don't think you need to sit on the floor unless you want to.