28 Oct Is Plant-Based Leather More Sustainable? Understanding LCA

“Sustainable” is one of the most used and least defined words in materials. Whether plant-based leather is more sustainable than animal leather or PU depends on how it is made, what it replaces and how long the product lasts. The tool that turns this debate into evidence is the life cycle assessment (LCA).

What is an LCA?

An LCA measures the environmental impacts of a product across its life cycle, from raw materials through manufacturing, use and end-of-life. The method is standardised in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. An LCA has four stages:

1. Goal and scope: what is being compared, for what purpose and where the system boundaries are.
2. Inventory: collecting data on all inputs (energy, water, materials) and outputs (emissions, waste).
3. Impact assessment: translating that inventory into impacts such as climate change, water use, land use and toxicity.
4. Interpretation: drawing conclusions and checking sensitivity and uncertainty.

Key concepts to understand

• Functional unit: the basis of comparison, for example “1 m² of material” or “one handbag used for five years”. Comparing per kg instead of per m² can change the answer.
• System boundary: “cradle-to-gate” stops at the factory gate; “cradle-to-grave” includes use and disposal. Most material LCAs are cradle-to-gate.
• Allocation: how impacts are shared between products and by-products. For agricultural residues this is crucial: if residue is treated as waste, it carries little of the farming burden.
• Biogenic carbon: carbon absorbed by plants is accounted for differently from fossil carbon.

How plant-based leather typically compares

Compared with animal leather, plant-based materials avoid the large impacts associated with livestock farming (land, feed, methane) and tanning chemicals and water. Compared with PU or PVC, they replace a share of fossil-derived polymer with renewable content, reducing fossil resource use and, often, climate impact.

But results depend on the specific product: how much plant content it really contains, what binder is used, the energy mix of the factory, and how durable the final product is. A material that wears out twice as fast can lose its advantage.

How to read sustainability claims

• Ask whether the claim is based on an ISO 14040/44 LCA and whether it was third-party reviewed.
• Check the functional unit and system boundary, and whether comparisons use the same ones.
• Look for an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD, ISO 14025) for the most robust data.
• Be wary of single numbers with no explanation of how they were calculated.

Terratan’s approach

Terratan™ is made from agricultural residue that would otherwise be burned, with bio-based binders, reaching up to 89% certified bio-based content (USDA Certified Biobased). Our Sustainability page summarises our current environmental comparison against animal and synthetic leathers, and we are happy to explain the basis of these figures to buyers. Related reading: what circularity means for leather alternatives.

Work with Terratan

Terratan™ is Bharat Biomaterials’ plant-based leather alternative, made from agricultural residue and produced in continuous rolls in India. Explore the material, read about our sustainability approach, or contact our team to request the technical data sheet and samples.