This headline remains true only when you omit factors like the lifetime use of a product. Leather products last around 30-50 years and emit 22.5kg of carbon dioxide (CO2e) throughout production. Whereas fake leather imitations emit 15.8kg of carbon dioxide (CO2e), but only last 2-5 years. Because of their short lifespan, we would need to make at least 6x more fake leather products, making the total atmospheric contribution of carbon dioxide (CO2e) at least 94.8 kg versus real leather’s 22.5 kg.