Fibre Focus: Fish Leather

fiber-focus-fish-leather

Choosing a fibre form a design perspective can be challenging enough, but the fibre that a fabric is made from also has numerous environmental and social impacts. It can be difficult to work out the best option when selecting a fibre.

Introducing Fibre Focus, our fabric blog that breaks down the various impacts of a fibre from an environmental, social justice and design standpoint. It is also important to consider any potential impacts a fibre may have if it were to become more popular.

Design advantages :

  • Derived form a by-product, so very cost effective to source
  • Naturally rich in oils, so the end product is supple and durable if treated correctly
  • ‘Fish leather’ is a very versatile material that has a wide range of applications in a number of industries – from footwear, to fashion, to furnishings
  • Has affinity with most dyestuff, natural or synthetic

Design disadvantages :

  • Compared to large-bodied cows (that are used in conventional leather) fish obviously have much smaller bodies and more are needed to make the same amount on animal leather
  • Although fish leather is derived from a by-product that might otherwise be wasted, it is still technically an animal product, and therefore some vegans/vegetarians may disapprove
  • Fish skin is generally finer and less durable than leather derived from animal hide
  • Fish skin can tare easily during the production phase if precautions are not taken

Environmental impacts :

  • Natural, biodegradable, renewable (for now!)
  • Derived form a waste product, so nothing ‘new’ was raised or cultivated for fish leather production – thus saving precious natural resources and avoiding extra emissions/pollution
  • No issues with post-use disposal because fish leather degrades back to nature
  • Fish are ubiquitous in many of the world’s water bodies – and so do not necessarily need to be imported. This saves distance, fuel and emissions
  • However overfishing or irresponsible fishing is an incredibly disruptive practice – did you know that the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch is up to 46% discarded fishing paraphernalia?
  • Rearing cattle for leather and the meat industry uses vast quantities of land, water and chemicals. It can also lead to deforestation – whereas fishing does not require the clearing of land
  • Cadaver-wise, more fish are needed to produce the same quantity of animal leather – although if the fish are already dead, then perhaps it makes sense to utilise their skin?
  • Conventional leather generally goes through a ‘tanning’ process where a cocktail of heavy metals including Chromium 6 are used to treat the hide. Fish leather does not require these chemicals.

Social impacts :

  • Fishing communities can sell excess skins and generate a secondary stream of income
  • Improved worker health during the tanning process and the avoidance of Chromium 6 and other heavy metals that have known negative health implications
  • People can buy fish skins from their local fishmongers and create their own fish skin leather in their kitchens at home
  • Residential areas surrounding conventional leather tanneries are routinely exposed to residual chemicals in their water sources, fish skin leather avoids this issue

Positive potential impacts :

  • Avoidance of chemical pollution such as Chromium 6
  • Increased profits for fishing communities
  • Less waste in the fishing industry
  • Less fuel required for transportation
  • Decreased deforestation rate
  • Increased biodiversity and ecological equilibrium
  • Decreased presence of synthetic ‘leather’ alternative in landfill, and therefore improved land, air and water quality
  • Better health for workers and a decreased risk of chromium related illnesses in local communities. The tanning chemicals used in animal leather production have an undeniable link to severe neurological issues in children

Negative potential impacts :

  • Job loss in cattle industry
  • Job loss in leather industry
  • Overfishing, decreased biodiversity
  • Increased waste levels in meat industry – if the demand for meat remains high and the demand for animal leather falls, the animal skins will go to waste and so will all the resources used for rearing the animals
  • Slightly different look that normal leather, which may take some consumers a while to get used to
  •  

So, there you have it, a simple breakdown of fish leather’s impacts that you can keep in mind when buying, sourcing or designing.

Fibre Focus: Fish Leather

fiber-focus-fish-leather

More news

inks-and-dyes-used-in-the-textile-industry
Materials &Techniques

Inks And Dyes Used In The Textile Industry: Why Choosing Water Based Inks And Dyes Is A Necessity

Colour is a catalyst in sales success within the fashion industry. The first thing consumers notice about a piece of clothing before the fabric or size is the colour of the garment. The brightness or shade of clothing as well as how it might suit their complexion and their personal preferences. However, colour dyes in clothing is known to be harmful to the environment and the people in the surrounding areas close to factories.
Supreme-Creations-x-Chefs-in-Schools
Work/ Partnerships

Supreme Creations x Chefs in Schools

Chefs in schools is a charitable initiative that aims to improve the health of children through better school food and education. While writing the School Food Plan, Henry Dimbleby (a governor at his children’s state primary, Gayhurst Community School in Hackney) posted a tweet asking whether anyone would be interested in taking over the school kitchen.
decoding-sustainability-jargon
Sustainability & Supply Chain

Decoding Sustainability Jargon

At Supreme Creations we know that sustainability can be confusing. There is a lot of jargon thrown about, and it’s hard to know what the hell anyone is on about. We thought it would be helpful to make a glossary of these new sustainability terms, and define them in an easy, simple way so that you may use this as a reference point when talking, reading, or thinking about sustainability.
green-businesses
Materials &Techniques

Green Businesses

It seems today the trending topic in the business world is ‘going green’. These moves by big businesses to try and cut carbon emissions, use greener energy, and improve their effect on the environment, are all a positive movement towards a greener future. However, at a time when ‘green’ is in, we want to know how many of these claims are ‘greenwashing’, painting businesses in a positive light whereas in reality their practices are far from sustainable.
fiber-focus-cotton
Materials &Techniques

Fibre Focus: Cotton

Choosing a fibre from a design perspective can be challenging enough, but the fibre that a fabric is made from also has numerous environmental and social impacts. It can be difficult to work out the best option when selecting a fibre.
simple-patterns-to-print-on-your-tote-bags
Materials &Techniques

Simple patterns to print on your tote bags

A spot repeat pattern is can give surprisingly varied prints when small changes are made. Small dots give a traditional and uniform appearance. Patterns like this are great for conventional and classic designs, or for printed inner linings. Use a half-drop repeat for a more directional print. Dense coloured spots on a white background give fabric a fresh look that is perfect for all purposes – from kitchen to cosmetics.

GET A QUOTE & SAMPLE

Fill out the form, and we’ll send you an initial quote within two hours (Mon-Fri 09:00-17:30)