Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Alternatives to fur and leather

• Opportunity:
• Every day, hundreds of thousands of animals are violently killed for the sole purpose of using their skin for fur and leather products. This industry is not only cruel but it is bad for the environment and the working conditions are not suitable for people to work in.
• The who: People who want leather or fur products
• The what: They want the products but don't want to contribute to the negative effects
• The why: Alternatives will provide better working conditions and won't be as bad for the environment 
• Testing the who: Everyone who wears leather or fur or wants to wear it will have this issue. The "who" is not only limited to people purchasing the products, but it will benefit people who work in the conditions where they are producing leather or fur and are being poorly paid and working in awful environments. This will also benefit the animals who are killed for these products. 
• Testing the what: The boundaries of this need will be that new materials might need to be developed in order to be comparable to the quality of real leather and real fur. It might cost more money in order to develop these materials and it will take more time. It will also cost more money to be able to pay workers a reasonable amount while having them work in good conditions. 
• Testing the why: Why people wear fur and leather is because of the quality and appearance of it. People don't consider the environmental and humanitarian impact that goes into the creation of fur and leather. This opportunity will shed light on the fact that fur and leather are not ethical and will peak the interest of people who have leather shoes and products, etc. 
• Interview #1:
• This interview was conducted with a female student who said she mostly wears leather shoes and she doesn't consider it an issue. She said that she knows that an animal will have to die for the shoe but she thinks eating meat could be considered just as wrong, and therefore, doesn't consider it an issue. She mentioned that she has never given leather alternatives a thought because the quality is not the same and it isn't as easily attainable.
• Interview #2:
• In this interview, I talked with a male grad student. We discussed the fact that leather and fur are extremely detrimental to our environment, as well as cruel for animals. He seemed to care more about the fact that there is a large environmental impact, not so much about the ethics of the industry. He is an engineering student who tries to budget while in college, so leather is not something he thinks very much about. He said he owns a few leather products, but would reconsider the materials of his shoes next time he decides to go shopping. He said his main concern when buying products is the price, so if the alternatives are priced well, he will buy them.
• Interview #3:
• In this interview, I decided to talk with someone who had a vegan pin of her backpack. I asked her several questions about what her opinion was about the leather and fur industry, and she didn't even seem to be aware of the environmental impact. She said that she had a vegan diet but sometimes if she found a bag or pair of shoes that she really liked but were made with some leather, she might consider buying them. She was surprised to find out that the working conditions for people producing leather were very poor and she said she would be very interested in buying a good leather alternative. 
• Interview #4:
• I interviewed a sophomore journalism major. She is in a sorority and works closely on The Alligator magazine as well as some on-campus magazines. She has a passion for humanitarian efforts and tries to write mostly about injustices. I informed her of how the leather and fur industry drastically underpays its workers as well as forcing them to work in awful conditions. She said she was surprised by this fact, as she frequently wears shoes and bags with different types of leather. When asking her if she would be willing to switch to an alternative she said she was very open to it and said it would be an important industry to educate people on. She seemed to believe in the opportunity. 
• Interview #5:
• This interview was conducted with a library staff member who has been working in the library for 6 years. He is an older man who doesn't shop or think about material items much. I asked him what he thinks of the leather industry and he didn't have much to say about it other than it was a "necessary evil." I proposed the idea of an alternative to leather in order to cut down on the environmental impact of leather and he said he would prefer to buy items that had less of an impact on the environment. He said he wouldn't go out of his way to make the switch but if it were in front of him, he would buy a faux leather. 
• Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you didn't know before? 
• The interviews gave me a new perspective on the idea of faux leather. I wasn't sure if people would be willing to make the switch considering the wide availability of leather and the number of trendy companies and items that are made with leather that young people want to buy. The interviews let me know that not everyone, like #1, is willing to make the switch due to the inconvenience and price of a leather alternative. I also learned that people would make the switch for different reasons like #3 would switch for ethical reasons but #4 for humanitarian reasons. Overall, the interviews led me to believe that an opportunity exists here if you play off of peoples sympathy towards animals and the working conditions.