Produced and directed by Rebecca Cappelli, the documentary across the globe delves into the different steps in the critical production of leather and its use in the fashion system
In a special screening of the documentary and a talk with the founders of Desserto, producers of vegan leather from the cactus, Rebecca Cappelli reflects on today’s market.
SLAY reads at the beginning of the documentary signifies the literal killing of a person or animal in a violent manner. Or, in the alternative, it is a slang describing a person who is dressed to kill. Indeed, the central question from which the research explored in the documentary begins is, «Is it acceptable to kill animals for fashion?»
The investigation begins to understand the amount and manner of atrocities committed against animals in this industry. It goes so far as to highlight how the leather industry is one that also has a negative impact on the health of people and the environment.
The centrality of leather goods in the fashion industry.
We all have to deal with fashion, even in the act of wearing which garments to choose, says Samata Pattinson. Fashion is one of the thriving industries worth trillion dollars, explains Rebecca Cappelli, director of SLAY documentary.
Every day every person in the world comes in contact with this industry through phones, TV, ADV. Issues related to the ethics and sustainability of these products have been raised for some years now even by conscious buyers.
The issue of leather use is being brought to the attention of consumers, whereas often this action had been relegated to the work of activists. Fur and leather are materials from animals and widely used in manufacturing.
Leather production is concentrated in India, Russia, Italy, Brazil and China
Rebecca Cappelli’s research starts from the very websites of brands that highlight their sustainability and people sections, but do not make information available on the sourcing of animal materials. In requesting more information from the brands in direct no email response was provided, which is why she began to investigate this aspect.
The main material used in fashion is leather, she specifies in the documentary. And the production of this is concentrated in India, Russia, Italy, Brazil and China. Manufacturing is dislocated and each step in the supply chain takes place in a different country. Since many of the leather shoes are labeled Made in India, Cappelli begins her journey to analyze the market from here.
Kanpur, India – the low-cost market where brands source their raw materials
One third of Indian leather is produced in Kanpur, and it is in this low cost market that brands source their raw materials, Cappelli explains. Armani, Dior, Mango, H&M, Versace, both luxury and fast fashion brands are reported among buyers. Salting, deharring, decreasing, soaking and tanning are part of the process to achieve the result of usable material.
In addition, the leather goes through several washings with chemical materials to remove residual grease and hair. In the tanning process, chromium sulfate is used, transforming the leather into the product that is then exported to the rest of the world. The dispersion of this material has created an environmental and health issue in India explained in the documentary by Rakesh Jaiswal, Eco Friends President.
Over the past 30 years he has studied the local influence of lather production starting with wastewater, a mix of chemicals used in processing. About fifty million wastewater is generated daily in Kanpur with a serious impact on the health of the inhabitants.
The impact of leather production on people and planet
In the Indian region, it then becomes difficult to obtain uncontaminated water. Factories not only dispose of the wastewater they generate but also discharge smoke into the air. The water is not purified or treated in a proper manner and then goes to irrigate fields for agriculture. In this way the soil, the health of the land and animals as well as humans is damaged.
Jaiswal explains that among the most common forms of disease here are skin problems, kidney issues, cancer, even the level of leprosy is high. This leads to an exaggerated level of inequality for those who manufacture these skins, starting from the wearisome and harmful work to obtaining resources and trying to manage their health.
Leather, one of the most damaging materials for the planet
Data collected by Sustainable Apparel Coalition speaks for itself, even before the tanning process, leather turns out to be one of the most damaging materials for the planet. In the report it can be seen that cow leather turns out to have a worse impact than synthetic leather and polyester. In addition to the calculated greenhouse gas emissions, the amount of water required in the processing steps is high.
According to data reported and produced by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization one cowhide uses more than hundred thousand liters of water. A figure compared by the director to the production of a pair of shoes that is equivalent to the amount of water a human being drinks for ten years.
What the documentary points out is that no, leather does not represent the use of a food industry waste that would otherwise be waste. On the environmental level, compared to even the studies mentioned above, it would already be convenient to let these skins end up in landfills. It is still an industry with a value that plays with such a principle as reuse might seem.
Brazil: Amazon deforestation
Eco-Age says the level of consumption in the leather industry is having a massive role in the Amazon deforestation. One of the most complete and complex ecosystems on our planet, which being damaged leads to consequences not only for Brazil but for the entire balance of the Earth. Dr. Frank Alarcon, an expert in bioethics and public health, counts among the problems of the absence of the Forest the difficulty of having water quality and moisture distributed on the Planet, wildlife and ecological equilibrium.
The uncovering of this ecosystem also means an imbalance for local indigenous peoples. Cattle ranching and livestock production are two main reasons for deforestation. According to Amnesty International studies, Brazil has a high number of cows compared to the rest of the world, about 213 million. Rebecca Cappelli is accurate: «Meat and leather are two sides of the same coin. The biggest producer of meat is the Brazilian giant JBL, is also the biggest leather producer».
The continuous movement of materials for processing and the low level of traceability promote the hushing up of this situation. The material produced in Brazil is for the most part exported to the rest of the world.
Made in Italy? investigating Italian tanneries
Italy is one of the buyers of Brazilian leather, proving that luxury and brand are not always a guarantee of how a product is made. 250 billion dollars, this is the value of the leather goods market explains the director, and it is in this market that the label Made in Italy is often used. Cappelli’s research starts from the Lineapelle fair to investigate several Italian tanneries.
Looking into provenance, one of the suppliers explains that hides of Italian origin almost no longer exist and that many sources are from Brazil, Pakistan, Turkey, and Algeria. Santa Croce sull’Arno is the town in Tuscany where most of these tanneries are based. Although almost no one opens the doors of their company, Cappelli managed to get in some by observing how even here the use of chemicals such as chromium sulfate is widespread. While only a few factories use vegetable tanning.
Unlike India, the materials here are disposed of in a proper manner, but research conducted on the health of workers in this industry shows that there are consequences here as well. In a report, physician Tonina Iaia, who focused her work on the diseases of tanneries workers, talks about immediate consequences such as irritation and long-term consequences of exposure.
These are not only staying in contact with carcinogens but also working with dangerous machinery that causes various accidents. In addition to the physical risks, contracts are unstable, and to be employed are found mainly immigrants. There are people paid two dollars per hour to manufacture leather goods for the biggest fashion brands, the documentary explains.
The hypocrisy of the fur market
The fur market, hiding behind the pollution created by fake fur and plastics, has given itself a positive narrative. Often referring to natural, non-polluting and biodegradable materials. In fact, however, Rebecca Cappelli says, only twenty-five percent of a fur pelt biodegrades. «Compared to faux fur, animal fur produce seven point five times more emissions… To prevent pelts from rotting animal fur is processed using chemicals like formaldehyde and heavy metals», the director continues.
In addition, these chemicals have been found to have harmful effects on the health of people wearing the garment. The approved techniques referred to for killing minks or foxes are either insertion into gas chambers or induction of a series of electric shocks leading to death. The whole process is programmed, and from birth these animals live confined in cramped spaces. These types of farms are found in Europe, Russia, the USA, Canada, and in particular in China.
Shanghai’s leading role in the fur industry and shared guilt
Another stop in the documentary is Shanghai, for its leading role in the fur industry. What Cappelli finds out is that the supply chain involves several countries and then activates further in China. The example is the finding of a US wolf fur in a fair, even though some species are known to be protected. In the back alleys behind the malls pieces at very low prices are sold to the public.
Delving into Changli, the biggest raw fur market in China, the director directly checks the status of the farms. Foxes and raccoons can be found here, part of the 120 million animals killed for fur each year. Dr. Melanie Joy, a social psychologist, explains that humans as empathic beings are disturbed by images of animal killing and processing. She therefore describes the behavior of some to support these practices in purchases anyway as carnism, or «the invisible belief system or ideology that conditions us to consume certain animals but not others».
Rebecca Cappelli
Filmmaker and activist, she won different prizes and also she directed Let Us Be Heroes (2018). Her works focuses on culture change and people, environmental and animal protection. On February 16th she launched an exclusive screening of Slay together with Desserto, vegan leather producer committed to change the industry.
