Leather is an agricultural product. We often forget that.

Leather is also a product that went from being highly localized and utilitarian—we made shoes to cover our feet—to highly industrialized. Most consumers no longer think about where the leather in their shoes or bags or car seats or furniture came from, much less what impact the production of that product had on the land or animals.

But as this video from the Savory Institute reminds us, everything we do—and everything we buy—has an origin and an impact. As consumers, we can make choices that minimize the exploitation of our land, animals and people.

What do you know about where the leather in your shoes or couch came from? How can you find out more?

Watch ‘The Story of Leather’