Apple Named 2023 PETA Company of the Year for Abstaining from Leather
Apple's decision to stop making leather accessories, like watch straps, made it PETA's Company of the Year. - Copyright Jeff Chiu/AP Photo
The animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has conferred the 2023 Company of the Year Award on Apple for refraining from the use of leather in products and accessories as a way of protecting animal rights.
PETA explained in a statement that “In a seismic shift from the old days of cowhide and crocodile-skin watchbands, millions of watches sold next year will be leather-free, thanks to a pledge from Apple Inc. (…) to throw out leather and expand its use of recycled materials.”
In September 2023, the American tech giant declared it was going to desist from using leather to manufacture any of its products – phone cases, watch straps, and wallets- but would rather use a FineWoven fabric.
Apple stressed that the new material possessed “significantly lower emissions compared to the more carbon-intensive leather.”
“Leather is a popular material for accessories, but it has a significant carbon footprint, especially at Apple’s scale,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives said, adding it is the company’s goal to have all of its products carbon neutral by 2030.
This is further commended by PETA who hopes Apple’s steps will influence other manufacturing companies to do the same.
Despite the company’s strides in reducing carbon emissions and ensuring a clean environment, it has received several criticisms from countries that believe the annual release of Apple products produces more waste than any other thing does.
Some individuals believe that the production of new models of iPhones with slight feature changes that consumers hardly need is just a compilation of waste products in the ecosystem.
According to GlobalData, Apple generated 52,490 tonnes of waste in 2021, an increase of 14.8 percent from 2020.
