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Vegan home · 21 October 2022

11 vegan leather sofas, ranked by how eco-friendly they are

The environmental impact of leather is tremendous, with a fifth of greenhouse gases down to animal agriculture and a third of hides making their way to landfill… But you might still want that timeless leather sofa look, while staying in line with your vegan values? I’ve got you covered!

As a general rule faux leather is plastic-based which has its drawbacks from a production and disposal point of view, often involving toxic chemicals and non-biodegradable waste. However, PU is a more eco-friendly leather alternative than PVC. Sustainable vegan leathers made from pineapple, cork, apple and mushrooms are also starting to appear in the furniture industry.

I’m personally planning on getting a velvet sofa for our lounge, but having put this list together, I can definitely see the appeal of these vegan leather sofas! So here they are, from least eco-friendly to most sustainable:

  1. PVC sofas (and mystery vegan leather ones!)
  2. PU sofas
  3. Plant-based sofas
11 vegan leather sofas, ranked by how eco-friendly they are
Image source: Haute Stock

(Note: this blog post contains affiliate links to products I genuinely like. They are all vegan-friendly to the best of my knowledge. If you click a button or a link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work!)

PVC sofas (and mystery vegan leather ones!)

Many vegan leather sofas will be made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is unfortunately the most environmentally-damaging plastic, as it releases chlorine-based chemicals during its production, use and disposal. This is where you will find more affordable sofas, and if you’re pinching pennies, it may be a trade-off you’re willing to make.

I’ve included in this category the faux leather sofas where the product description doesn’t specify the exact material. They could be made with a different vegan leather, but I suspect they might be PVC.

(Pssst make sure you open my list of 11 vegan-friendly sofas at IKEA in another tab too!)

This DFS sofa was awarded “Best Leather Free Sofa Range” by Peta:

Mulberry 4-seater sofa, in charcoal

shop here

Andora coil futon

shop here

Vegan leather tufted sofa

shop here

Mingle vegan leather 4-piece sofa and 2 ottomans set, in grey

shop here

Kaiya vegan leather sofa

shop here

Bartlett vegan leather 3-piece sofa, in tan

shop here

PU sofas

PU (polyurethane) is better than PVC plastic: the chemicals are less toxic for the environment, but it can have a shorter shelf-life. By the way, the conventional tanning process of real leather also includes toxic chemicals (“vegetable-tanned” leather is less toxic).

Neither of the plastic-based leather alternatives are biodegradable. But then again, the leather we use is so treated with chemicals that it also doesn’t biodegrade as well as we could expect from a “natural material”.

Here’s what Corinne Segura of My Chemical Free House has to say about PU vegan leather sofas:

I like PU because it doesn’t contain plasticizers, PFAS, or other stain guard chemicals, it’s low odor – and even that will pass soon. It also is quite a good block of VOCs or semi-VOCs that could be coming from inside the couch.

I love the subtle glam look of this first sofa!

Kingston vegan leather sofa, in ivory

shop here

Ashley Arroyo sofa, in caramel

Shop here

Medora vegan leather sofa

shop here

Plant-based sofas

I’ve grouped the more natural materials in this “plant-based sofa” category. These include exciting innovations using cork, apple skins, mushrooms… Piñatex for example is made from pineapple leaves, a by-product of the pineapple industry that would otherwise go to waste.

These materials are starting to make an appearance in fashion and accessories, but it is still very much the early days for them being used in making furniture. To the point that experimenting with them makes headlines.

So I’ve only got a couple sofas in this category available for purchase… Please DM me if you know of any more and I’ll add them to the list! That way hopefully in the coming years, I’ll be able to feature only eco-friendly and safe vegan sofas.

Cork sofa, in Jenolan black

shop here

Gus mix modular sofa, in vegan appleskin leather cognac

shop here

I haven’t covered lab-grown leather sofas yet, as to the best of my knowledge they’re not available commercially yet, but that could be an option in the coming years. Not sure how I feel about it though…

As always, the most sustainable option is not buying anything at all! Second best is buying something second-hand, so if you’re on a budget, do check out Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist to give a second life to a sofa. There are still debates about whether vegans should own second-hand leather items, but hey, you do you!

Posted By: Jessica Goodenough · In: Vegan home

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About Jessica Goodenough

I'm not a regular mum, I'm a vegan mum 😉
Helping you live your best plant-based life 🌱
All welcome - no vegan police here! 💚
Learn more about me here.

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About Photo
Hi I'm Jessica! Welcome to my blog, where you can find vegan lifestyle inspiration to help you live your best plant-based life!

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I wasn't going to let unflattering angles and the I wasn't going to let unflattering angles and the flu stop me from sharing my first vegan jacket from @willsveganstore! 😅✨

This post isn't sponsored, but feel free to send me free vegan stuff! 😜

If you want to check the aviator jacket, you can find it by following the link in my bio. 😘

If you've read this far, please drop an emoji in the comments if you're more interested in:
🌱 Products from vegan brands
💖 Second-hand finds

#VeganJacket #FashionDiaries #VeganFashion #SustainableFashionBrand #VeganBlogger
“I could never give up meat”… How many times “I could never give up meat”… How many times have we heard that? Or said it ourselves? 🤔

The foods we are used to can have a very strong emotional bond, even though they’re not always the best for us. Plant-based eating is better for our health and the planet (and of course the animals!), but I can understand having cravings for foods we have enjoyed for a lot of our lives. 😬

In the blog post, for each dinner, I’ll offer two options. One is the 100% vegan option and one is the one to use if you’re taking baby steps towards going vegan. Find them by following the link in my bio! 😘

#AddDontRestrict #ForksOverKnives #VeganFood
🌹 Going into work, energy hacks and food experi 🌹 Going into work, energy hacks and food experiments! 👇

1️⃣ Last week I headed into Oxford to work from "the office", aka @oxfordtownhall and had a nice lunch at my old hangout spot @artcafeoxford

2️⃣ I don't share much of my "job job" haha on here, but it is very rewarding making positive changes (or at least trying to) with @oxfordcitycouncil, like involving teenage girls in designing park equipment or trying to get more trees in the city 🌳🏙️✨

3️⃣ Anyhoo, back to fun vegan stuff - I highly recommend the Art Café if you're in Oxford and fancy something vegan, they have quite a lot of variety. The flapjack was a slice of heaven haha. (This isn't sponsored, but I will accept payment in free flapjacks and juices! 😜)

4️⃣ After a long day, it was lovely to come home to some treats I had ordered earlier:
🍄☕ Adaptogenic coffee from @london.nootropics (if you want to check them out, use code jessicagoodenough at checkout for 15% off)
📆🌷 A beautiful @amberdavenport_uk calendar that's going to serve as our family calendar so that we're on the same page this year! 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦😵‍💫😅

5️⃣ I struggled with energy a bit after a few short nights, so I've been trying a few things to stay energised. One of them is finishing my shower with cold water (okay, let's be real, it was cool water, still working on this haha)... 🥶⚡

6️⃣ ... the other one is getting fresh air after lunch to avoid getting caught up in the post-lunch slump. 👢👢🍃

7️⃣ This weekend I made the feijoada recipe from my new @thehappypear book... It tasted better than it looked haha. In fact I'd say it was the yummiest thing I've made in a while. 😋 Not exactly like the meaty ones I had in Brazil (though that was almost a decade ago) but super good!

#ThatGirlHabits #VeganWoman #Motivation
Most people start their vegan journey with food, b Most people start their vegan journey with food, but quickly we start questioning what our wardrobes and homes are full of… And sometimes it’s not a pretty picture. I never advocate for throwing everything out and going on a crazy shopping spree, but if you are in the market for new vegan furniture, here’s where you can get it! 😊

I’ll be honest, I thought I was being clever while writing this list. I thought I’d check out the list of companies with a @theoriginalvegansociety trademark, pluck out a few furniture ones and tadaa… Job done! 🌱

Well it turns out that none of the companies listed actually sell furniture… so back to good old Google. As much as I love @immaculatevegan to find lots of vegan fashion brands, there isn’t a comparable platform for vegan furniture (should I create it??). 🤔

In any case, here are some cool companies I found who sell vegan furniture in the UK (and further afield too)! ✨

#VeganFurniture #InnovativeDesign #VeganLiving #ConsciousConsumer
✨ Here are the lessons I'm taking into 2023: ✨ ✨ Here are the lessons I'm taking into 2023: ✨

👩🏼‍💻 People want my skills, I'm valuable.
⛱️ We can go on trips and make memories.
💔 People can pass away at any point: say the nice things now and make the time to see them.
🖐🏼 It's worth insisting with medical things as their resolution can bring a lot of relief.
🩸 Stress is real - make sure to prioritise self care.
💳 I'm a savvy businesswoman who takes risks and invests in herself because I know it's working. 😊
🧘🏼‍♀️ I need to pick exercise that suits my goals and lifestyle, not vice-versa.
💻 I showed up last year, I'm showing up more this year. 😊

(This is based on last week's video on what happened in 2022, go check it out and tell me what you've been up to in 2022 / what lessons you're carrying into 2023! 😘)

#2022Lessons #LivingTheGoodenoughLife #TakeADeepBreath #StayInspired #FreshStart
Trying to shop vegan but a bit confused about how Trying to shop vegan but a bit confused about how to read labels (or online descriptions)? 🤔

Vegan clothing materials are made without animal products. These can be plant fibres (cotton, hemp, linen) or plastic materials (polyester, acrylic). 🌱♻️

Clothing materials that aren’t vegan are extracted from the skin (leather), feathers (down), fur, teeth and bones of a wide variety of animals. 💔

How many did you spot? 😘

#VeganClothingMaterials #EcoTextiles #ConsciousClothing #GreenFashion #SustainableStyle
✨ First photo dump of 2023! ✨ Details 👇

1️⃣ Goodbye 2022 with a beautiful decoration from the best marraine @astridjabl 🎈
2️⃣ Starting the year with smoothies after quite a bit of chocolate and vegan cheese over Christmas 😵‍💫
3️⃣ My words for 2023 - tell me yours in the comments! 💖
4️⃣ Experimenting with smoothies: apparently you can add too many beans... Tasted a bit "muddy". 😅
5️⃣ This quarter I'm focusing on improving my wardrobe: more to come on that front soon, but as part of it, I'm trying to document my outfits more 💃🏼
6️⃣ I'm also re-focusing on eating my Daily Dozen (by @nutrition_facts_org) and I'll be re-doing the meal plan I created a while back 🫒🍝
7️⃣ Inspired by @gretchenrubin's #Outside23in23, I've been trying to head out of my home office natural habitat more often (though not every day like she is) 🌳

Back to you: how have you started the year? 😘

#VeganGoodLife #IntentionSetting #VeganBlogger #IntentionalLiving
Where we're at with the kitchen renovation: ✅ T Where we're at with the kitchen renovation:

✅ The cupboards are all in
✅ The beautiful breakfast bar with a waterfall worktop is done (photos soon once we declutter it 😬)
✅ All the worktops are in place
✅ All appliances are in place
✅ The hob backsplash tiles are on the wall (the ones you can see in the video are now grouted)

What's still to happen:
💙 Treating the hob worktop (it's currently covered, under the tiles in the video)
💙 Put hob in
💙 Get lights over breakfast bar working
💙 Purchase bins + the "back" of the breakfast bar (or front if you're looking at it from the living room!)
💙 Finish adding cupboard doors
💙 ... and probably many more things!

The Man (aka @robbeaver 😅) has done the vast majority of the work and managed the whole project... I don't think he's in a rush to take on a big project for such a difficult client again. 😜

#FeelingOfHome #HappyHomeDesigner #KitchenRenovation
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