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Artificial leather

An artificial leather bag strap, made from plastic Artificial leather , also called synthetic leather , is a material intended to substitute for leather in upholstery, clothing,...

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An artificial leather bag strap, made from plastic

Artificial leather, also called synthetic leather, is a material intended to substitute for leather in upholstery, clothing, footwear, and other uses where a leather-like finish is desired but the actual material is cost-prohibitive or unsuitable due to practical or ethical concerns. Artificial leather is known by many names, including leatherette, imitation leather, faux leather, vegan leather, PU leather (polyurethane), pseudoleather, and pleather.[1]

Uses

Artificial leathers are often used in clothing fabrics, furniture upholstery, water craft upholstery, and automotive interiors.[2]

One of its primary advantages, especially in cars, is that it requires little maintenance in comparison to leather, and does not crack or fade easily, though the surface of some artificial leathers may rub and wear off with time.[2] Artificial leather made from polyurethane is washable, but varieties made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are not easily cleaned.[3]

Fashion

Depending on the construction, the artificial leather may be porous and breathable, or may be impermeable and waterproof.

Porous artificial leather with a non-woven microfibre backing is a popular choice for clothing, and is comfortable to wear.[4]

Manufacture

Steps to make synthetic polyurethane leather:
  1. The base fabric
  2. A polyurethane coating is applied
  3. A color coat is added
  4. A textured finish is added[5]

Many different methods for the manufacture of imitation leathers have been developed.

A current method is to use an embossed release paper known as casting paper as a form for the surface finish, often mimicking the texture of top-grain leather. This embossed release paper holds the final texture in negative. For the manufacture, the release paper is coated with several layers of plastic e.g. PVC or polyurethane, possibly including a surface finish, a colour layer, a foam layer, an adhesive, a fabric layer, a reverse finish. Depending on the specific process, these layers may be wet or partially cured at the time of integration. The artificial leather is cured, then the release paper is removed and possibly reused.[6]

Se está desarrollando un método de fermentación para la producción de colágeno , el principal componente químico del cuero auténtico. [ 7 ]

Los materiales para fabricar cuero vegano pueden obtenerse a partir de hongos, levaduras y cepas bacterianas mediante procesos biotecnológicos. [ 8 ]

Métodos históricos

Uno de los primeros cueros artificiales fue el Presstoff . Inventado en la Alemania del siglo XIX, se fabricaba con pulpa de papel especialmente tratada y estratificada. Su uso se extendió ampliamente en Alemania durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial , sustituyendo al cuero, que en tiempos de guerra estaba racionado. El Presstoff podía utilizarse en casi todas las aplicaciones que normalmente se rellenaban con cuero, excepto en artículos como el calzado, sometidos repetidamente a desgaste por flexión o humedad. En estas condiciones, el Presstoff tiende a delaminarse y perder cohesión.

Otro ejemplo temprano fue Rexine , un tejido de imitación de cuero producido en el Reino Unido por Rexine Ltd de Hyde, cerca de Manchester. Estaba hecho de tela con una superficie de una mezcla de nitrocelulosa , aceite de alcanfor , alcohol y pigmento, y grabado para imitar el cuero. Se utilizaba como material de encuadernación y tapicería, especialmente para los interiores de vehículos de motor y vagones de ferrocarril fabricados por empresas británicas a partir de la década de 1920, y su coste era aproximadamente una cuarta parte del del cuero. [ 9 ]

Los materiales poroméricos se fabrican a partir de un recubrimiento plástico (generalmente poliuretano) sobre una capa base fibrosa (típicamente poliéster ). El término poromérico fue acuñado por DuPont como derivado de los términos poroso y polimérico . El primer material poromérico fue Corfam de DuPont, presentado en 1963 en la Feria del Calzado de Chicago. Corfam fue la pieza central del pabellón de DuPont en la Feria Mundial de Nueva York de 1964. Tras invertir millones de dólares en la comercialización del producto a fabricantes de calzado, DuPont retiró Corfam del mercado en 1971 y vendió los derechos a una empresa polaca .

La piel sintética también se fabrica recubriendo una base de tela con plástico. La tela puede ser de fibra natural o sintética y luego se recubre con una capa suave de cloruro de polivinilo (PVC). La piel sintética se utiliza en la encuadernación de libros y era común en las carcasas de las cámaras del siglo XX.

El cuero de corcho es una alternativa de fibra natural elaborada a partir de la corteza de los alcornoques que ha sido comprimida, de forma similar al Presstoff.

Efecto ambiental

The production of the PVC used in the production of many artificial leathers requires a plasticizer called a phthalate to make it flexible and soft. PVC production often uses petroleum feedstocks and large amounts of energy.[10] When PVC ends up in a landfill it does not decompose like genuine leather and can release dangerous chemicals such as dioxins into the water and soil.[11][12]

Polyurethane is currently more popular for use than PVC.[13]

The production of some artificial leathers requires plastic, with others, called plant-based leathers, only requiring plant-based materials; the inclusion of artificial materials in the production of artificial leathers notably raises sustainability issues.[14] However, some reports state that the manufacture of artificial leather is still more sustainable than that of real leather, with the Environmental Profit & Loss, a sustainability report developed in 2018 by Kering, stating that the impact of vegan-leather production can be up to a third lower than that of real leather.[14]

Some artificial leathers may have traces of restricted substances, like paint ingredient butanone oxime, according to a study by the FILK Freiberg Institute.[15]

Brand names

1968 Mercedes Benz280SE (W108) seats and door trim in blue MB-Tex
  • Alcantara
  • Clarino: manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd. of Japan.
  • Fabrikoid: A DuPont brand, cotton cloth coated with nitrocellulose
  • Kirza: A Russian form developed in the 1930s consisting of cotton fabric, latex, and rosin
  • MB-Tex: Used in many Mercedes-Benz base trims[16]
  • Naugahyde: An American brand introduced by Uniroyal
  • Pantasote: A historic American brand of imitation leather introduced in the 1890s.
  • Piñatex: Made from pineapple leaves
  • Rexine: A British brand
  • Skai: Made by the German company Konrad Hornschuch AG, its name has become a genericized trademark in Germany and surrounding countries

See also

  • Bicast leather – a form of genuine leather coated with a plastic finish
  • Bonded leather – a material made by blending scrap leather fibers with a plastic binder
  • Microfiber – a material made with synthetic fibers thinner than natural silk; can be used for making synthetic suedes, like Ultrasuede
  • Materiales a base de micelio : el micelio , el equivalente fúngico de las raíces en las plantas, se ha identificado como un sustituto ecológico de una larga lista de materiales en diferentes industrias.

Referencias

  1. ↑ Shaeffer, Claire (10 de noviembre de 2003). Cose cualquier tela: una guía rápida de telas de la A a la Z. Nueva York: Penguin . pág. 37. ISBN  978-1-4402-2033-3.
  2. 1 2 Blesius, Jim (7 de abril de 2014). "¿Qué es el cuero sintético?" . Recuperado el 22 de agosto de 2018 .
  3. ↑ Ujević, Darko; Kovacevic, Stana; Wadsworth, Larry C.; Schwarz, Ivana; Šajatović, Blaženka Brlobašić (octubre de 2009). «Análisis de Cuero Artificial Con Tejido Textil en el Reverso» . Revista de Textil y Confección, Tecnología y Gestión . 6 (2): 1, 2 - a través de Research Gate.
  4. ↑ Zhao, Baobao; Qian, Yao; Qian, Xiaoming; Fan, Jintu; Liu, Fan; Duo, Yongchao (junio de 2018). "Preparación y propiedades del cuero sintético de microfibra dividida" . Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics . 13 (2): 155892501801300. doi : 10.1177/155892501801300203 . ISSN 1558-9250 . S2CID 106400171 .  
  5. ↑ "Piel sintética de PU" . Gofar Synthetic Co., Ltd. Archivado del original el 11 de mayo de 2005. Consultado el 11 de mayo de 2005 .
  6. ↑ "Acerca de Castingpapers | CASTING PAPERS Serie R" . www.castingpapers.com . Consultado el 26 de marzo de 2022 .
  7. ↑ Kolodny, Lora (9 de marzo de 2018). "Este cuero se fabrica en un laboratorio, no a partir de ganado" . CNBC . Consultado el 13 de octubre de 2018 .
  8. ↑ Liu, Jize (9 de marzo de 2023). "Avances recientes sobre el poliuretano en aplicaciones de cuero: una visión general de las soluciones convencionales y más ecológicas" . Collagen and Leather . 5 (1): 5. doi : 10.1186/s42825-023-00116-8 .
  9. ↑ "Glosario de términos de encuadernación PS" . Redeye.co.nz . Consultado el 18 de abril de 2019 .
  10. ↑Colonnese, Carly (13 December 2015). "The ethical implications of the leather industry". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 11 November 2025. Deduced, vegan leather is made from petroleum. Therefore, a lot of energy goes into manufacturing pleather
  11. ↑"All You Need To Know About Vegan Leather". Dotch Leather. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2025. PVC releases dioxins, which are potentially dangerous in confined spaces and especially dangerous if burnt. It also uses plasticisers such as phthalates to make it flexible. Depending on the type of phthalate used, they're extremely toxic. It has been described by Greenpeace as the single most environmentally damaging type of plastic
  12. ↑Chamas, Ali; Moon, Hyunjin; Zheng, Jiajia; Qiu, Yang; Tabassum, Tarnuma; Jang, Jun Hee; Abu-Omar; Scott, Susannah L.; Suh, Sangwon (9 March 2020). "Degradation Rates of Plastics in the Environment". ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 8 (9): 3494–3511. doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b06635. ISSN 2168-0485.
  13. ↑"Vegan Leather Isn't As Ethical As You Think". Vocativ. 10 February 2016. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  14. 12Davis, Jessica (17 April 2020). "Is vegan leather worse for the environment than real leather?". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  15. ↑Roshitsh, Kaley (8 December 2021). "Is 'Vegan' Leather Worse for the Environment Than Real Leather?". WWD. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  16. ↑"What is MB-Tex Seat Upholstery? - MB-Tex vs. Leather". www.loebermotors.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2018.

Further reading

  • Faux Real: Genuine Leather and 200 Years of Inspired Fakes, by Robert Kanigel. Joseph Henry Press, 2007.
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Artificial leather at Wikimedia Commons