Why Some Vegetarians Do Not Wear Leather And Silk

Many vegetarians who stop eating meat for ethical reasons may also take measures to avoid contributing to the death of animals (and even insects) in other capacities. Some vegetarians refuse to wear leather and silk out of respect for all living things.

Vegetarians who refuse to wear silk argue that the process involves unnecessary cruelty to moth larvae. Rather than allowing the moth to grow and leave the cocoon, silk manufacturers boil the larvae alive, causing them to suffer and writhe, in order to obtain longer strands of silk.

Leather, by contrast, does not directly contribute to the suffering of animals in most cases. In most cases, leather is made from the byproducts of animals that would be slaughtered for meat, rennet, and other animal products.

This is precisely why many vegetarians who have an ethical dilemma with meat have no problem wearing leather: because they do not see it as the primary reason for killing the animals, but instead a byproduct of the slaughter.

Albeit, many groups of vegans oppose wearing leather because of it's indirect contribution to the suffering of animals.

These vegans argue that buying products from the companies that own the slaughterhouses that sell the byproducts for leather, etc., is just as bad as actually purchasing and eating meat yourself because you are still contributing money to the continuation of institutionalized animal suffering.

This is something worth considering if on ethical grounds you are currently a vegan or a vegetarian. It may have been tough to give up meat initially, but if you are totally committed to the cause and believe strong-enough, you may want to avoid clothing and other purchases that will support institutions that cause animal suffering.