New sofa is leather, ordered before becoming aware

Alison

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Hi there,

I'm a very new vegetarian, and transitioning to veganism. This is my first post.

I've changed my diet, though still eating dairy and eggs, though I can feel this is going to change very soon.

My problem is, I ordered 2 new sofas a few months ago, and they were delivered yesterday. They are leather. Obviously when I ordered them, I was thinking very differently, and hadn't even considered that they were leather. Now everything has changed and I feel as though I'm sitting on a dead cow.

Any advice for me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Alison
 
Hey Alison.

Welcome to the forums :)

Very happy to hear you've decided to become a vegetarian! If you have anything else to ask we're here :)

I understand how you feel... The chair I'm currently sitting on is made from leather, I also feel uneasy when my mind wonders thinking of how I'm basically sitting on a chair made of skin it's pretty gross though that doesn't mean I'll throw it away I'll keep using it till I can no longer keep using it as I don't want to be wasteful and I paid quite a lot for it, though as leather pretty much grosses me out now my next choice in chair will be made from some kind of fabric rather than dead animal skin.

Maybe you could purchase a sofa cover? Or if the feeling is effecting you so much sell what you have for friendlier alternative or you could just wait it out till it needs replacing.
 
Hi Damo,

Thanks for your reply, that actually makes me feel a bit better. Obviously because it's new I won't be replacing it anytime soon, though next time I'll know better. If an opportunity comes up for me to sell it in the meantime I will, and buy something more animal friendly.

Thank you :)
 
It's no problem Alison :)

We're here if you need anything else.
 
I've felt the same, not with couches but with accessories and shoes that I had in the pre-vegan days which are leather. I sold a leather wallet I had on eBay (couldn't bear to throw it out but didn't want it anymore either!) and with shoes that I had, I made the decision to wear them out rather than throw them out - I figured that way at least it wasn't like the animal died in vain, if that makes sense...

Since then though I've tried to be more aware of my purchases to ensure they were vegan friendly.
 
That's a personal decision. If it were me, I would have immediately put it up for sale. But I'm extremely sensitive about this stuff.. I would feel so hurt and awful just having it in my house, let alone using it for my comfort. But I would never want someone to feel shame for feeling differently. It was a costly purchase, it's there now and you bought it before becoming aware. You could cover it, you could sell it or you could keep it and vow to buy something vegan when the time comes. You aren't a bad person either way.. you do more for the animals and the planet than most people by just not eating meat.. it has a far larger impact than most efforts.
 
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