Seems like there’s a lot of assumptions in this response. I was specifically calling out the hide used. The tanning process is different.
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CES 2024: OtterBox Launches New Cases Made From Sustainable Cactus Leather
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Meanings of words change. Just like “milk,” “text,” and “application.” It’s leather in the modern usage of the term. You’re not going to undo this by arguing outdated semantics.
Many people are stopping eating meat. And sure, it’s unlikely many, if any, cows will be saved by switching from animal-based leather. But many people simply want to opt out of the industry of animal product harvesting altogether.
I would have to do more research on this product’s environmental footprint before even considering switching to something like this. I remember how sad I was to learn that so many vegan leathers are actually worse for the environment because they’re so much harder to recycle and less biodegradable. Hard to know from a press release whether this cactus leather is just greenwashing.
the case is made from MOSTLY plastic. not sure what point you’re trying to make. it’s greenwashing through and through
The point that people are making is that it could be less taxing on the environment to discard/compost the raw hides rather than to make it into leather through chrome tanning which pollutes waterways and produces non-biodegradable leather. Synthetics of course comes with its own set of issues like durability and micro-plastics but it does have a lower carbon footprint and can be much mor easily recycled or incinerated if the municipality is equipped to do so.
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Unless you are buying veg tan leather (which 90 recent of leather produced is not), chrome tanned leather is decidedly just as non-biodegradable as synthetics if not more so because it’s also harder to recycle or to even incinerate.
Cactus leather, which is basically soft/fragile fruit leather with a fabric backing for strength, can be better if you’re environmentally conscious, but only if the backing material is cotton or another natural material. More often though it uses some kind of polyester blend, which is basically landfill bound.
Whatever material you choose for a phone case, it’s all just a thin skin stretched over a plastic skeleton anyways, so whatever environmental benefit any material provides is minimal. The key is to buy durable cases that last longer and switch phones less often imo.
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You won’t find a pure leather case unless you are okay with something monstrously thick and unwieldy like this. Leather is inherently hard to shape and almost all leather cases (synthetic or not) are a thin skin glued to a plastic skeleton.
Because of all the virtue signaling. It is funny the same people crying about actual leather being used like the cows were used for literally just their skin.. Oh and you can't forget the cow farts causing all of the global warming (while oh so conviently giving the uber-rich a pass when they fly their private jets for a 10 min flight.)
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Yes it is. Like I have mentioned earlier, it’s a material which won’t decay in household compost.Turns out cactus leather is actually... plastic. So just another greenwashing attempt.
Marketing Hype or Reality? Why Plant-and-Plastic Hybrids Are The Worst of Both Worlds - The Circular Laboratory
Cactus Leather. Coffee Shoes. Why the trend of plastic-and-plant material hybrids is bad for the planet, and how some people are doing it differently.thecircularlaboratory.com
Multiple companies make leather cases for iPhone, I personally have one from Mujjo and it is an excellent case.
Yes, English words change as with usage over time. And leather still means animal hide to most people, which is why this product isn't leather. A minority falling for marketing doesn't change the overall meaning of a word.
I’m not being pedantic. I’m replying to people who are. Pedantic doesn’t mean what you think it does, evidently.
In the more general sense of its origins meaning a male teacher, going on about a point that doesn’t matter, making a show of being learned. Which is what we’re doing, right now. Doesn’t just mean specifically arguing about the meaning of words. That would be arguing semantics. Now that’s being pedantic!
I’m ok with sustainability, don’t get me wrong. But let’s get real: hey are manufactured in China, where most of the power comes from coal…
Everyone’s? You are not killing the cactus (even if you put it on the same level of the mammals).
Does ragweed leak rags when cut? Is it painful being that stupid?