Vegan Leather: Labelling Rules and Why “Leather” Is a Legal Word

Vegan leather is one of fashion’s most successful marketing phrases and one of its most legally fragile. Shoppers read it as a kind promise: no animals were harmed. Regulators and courts read the second word first. In much of Europe, “leather” is a protected description reserved for tanned animal hide, and in the US the Federal Trade Commission expects anything that looks like leather but is not to say so plainly. A bag sold as vegan leather in New York may need a different label in Milan, Paris or Cologne, and the reasons tell you a lot about how labelling law works.

Short answer: Vegan leather is a marketing term for leather-look materials such as polyurethane, PVC or plant-based composites. In the US, the FTC Leather Guides say non-leather that looks like leather should disclose what it really is. Italy and France reserve the word “leather” for animal hide, and a German court banned “apple leather” in 2025, so EU labels need care.

Key takeaways

• “Vegan leather” has no legal definition anywhere. Legally it is imitation leather, and the label has to make that clear.
• The FTC’s Guides for Select Leather and Imitation Leather Products (16 CFR Part 24) say non-leather that looks like leather should disclose its nature, for example “imitation leather”, “vinyl” or “plastic”.
• Italy (Legislative Decree 68/2020) and France (Decree 2010-29) reserve “leather” words for animal hide, including compounds such as ecopelle and “cuir vegan”.
• On 4 July 2025 the Higher Regional Court of Cologne barred a seller from calling dog collars made from apple waste “Apfelleder”.

What is vegan leather, legally speaking?

Nothing. No statute in the US, the EU or the UK defines vegan leather. The phrase covers a wide range of materials: polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coated fabrics, which make up much of the market, and newer bio-based materials made from apple pomace, cactus, pineapple leaf fibre or mycelium, many of which still contain a synthetic binder or coating. What they share is that none of them is the tanned skin of an animal.

The law cares about that fact because “leather” carries a reputation for durability and value that brands have spent centuries building. Leather itself has detailed technical definitions in voluntary standards, including the European standard EN 15987:2015 on key definitions for the leather trade and ISO 15115:2019, the international leather vocabulary. Labelling rules borrow the same idea: leather is hide or skin with its fibre structure largely intact, tanned so it does not rot. Everything else is, legally, a substitute. The ethical case for animal-free fashion, which FLJ covers in all about vegan fashion brands and fur, faux and foe, does not change how the label must read.

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What do US rules say about calling something leather?

The starting point is the FTC’s Guides for Select Leather and Imitation Leather Products, first adopted in 1996 and codified at 16 CFR Part 24. They apply to leather and simulated leather items such as handbags, luggage, wallets, belts (when not sold as part of a garment) and footwear. Section 24.2 says it is unfair or deceptive to use the unqualified term “leather”, or other unqualified terms suggestive of leather, unless the product is composed in all substantial parts of leather.

For substitutes, section 24.2(a) is the key line. If all or part of a product is made of non-leather material that appears to be leather, the fact that it is not leather, or the general nature of the material, should be disclosed. The Guides give examples: “Not leather”, “Imitation leather”, “Simulated leather”, “Vinyl”, “Vinyl coated fabric” or “Plastic”. Section 24.2(g) adds that these disclosures should appear on the product itself, as a stamping or on an attached tag, label or card, and in any advertising that would otherwise create a false impression about what the product is made of.

Two other rules matter. Bonded or reconstituted leather made from ground leather fibres cannot simply be called leather; if the term “bonded leather” is used, the Guides call for the percentages, as in “Bonded Leather Containing 60% Leather Fibers and 40% Non-leather Substances”. And trade names or images, such as a silhouette of an animal hide, should not suggest leather content that is not there. The FTC asked in February 2019 whether the Guides should be repealed, amended or kept, and they remain in the Code of Federal Regulations today.

Guides are not binding rules in themselves, but they show how the FTC reads section 5 of the FTC Act, which bans deceptive practices. Does “vegan leather” satisfy them? The word “vegan” signals that no animal product is involved, which points the shopper towards a substitute. But the Guides’ examples all name the material or call it imitation, and “vegan” says nothing about whether the item is plastic. The cautious US label pairs the marketing term with the actual material: “vegan leather (polyurethane)” on the product page and the tag.

How does the EU regulate leather labels?

There is no single EU leather labelling law, but two pieces of EU legislation touch the question. The first is the footwear labelling directive 94/11/EC of 23 March 1994. It requires shoes sold to consumers to show the material of the upper, the lining and sock, and the outer sole, using either pictograms or written words. There are four material categories: leather, coated leather, textile and “other materials”. Leather is defined as “hide or skin with its original fibrous structure more or less intact, tanned to be rot-proof”, and hide broken down into fibres or powder and reformed into sheets is expressly excluded. A label must name the material making up at least 80% of each part. A PU sneaker therefore has an “other materials” upper, however it is marketed.

The second is the Textile Regulation 1007/2011, which works the other way round. Article 12 requires textile products that contain non-textile parts of animal origin, such as a leather trim on a jumper, to state “Contains non-textile parts of animal origin”. A vegan product will not need that line, but its fibre composition still has to use the approved fibre names, so a PU coated fabric’s backing has to be described as polyester, cotton or whatever it actually is.

Beyond these, the general ban on misleading commercial practices applies across the EU. That is where national leather laws and courts come in.

Can you say “vegan leather” in Italy, France or Germany?

Italy has the strictest regime. Legislative Decree No. 68 of 9 June 2020, in force since 24 October 2020, reserves the words cuoio, pelle and pelliccia and their derivatives for materials that meet the legal definitions, which are based on animal hide or fur. According to the Bologna Chamber of Commerce, which enforces it locally, the ban covers translations and compound words such as ecopelle, similpelle, vinilpelle, “pelle vegetale” and “pelle sintetica”. Fines for manufacturers and importers run from €3,000 to €20,000, and distributors face €700 to €3,500. There is an important carve out: the decree does not apply to products lawfully made or marketed in another EU member state, Turkey or the EFTA states in the European Economic Area, and footwear labelled under the EU directive is excluded. FLJ’s guide to what “Made in Italy” legally means shows how seriously Italy polices labels.

France reached the same place by decree. Decree No. 2010-29 of 8 January 2010 defines leather (cuir) as material obtained from animal skin through tanning or impregnation that keeps its natural fibre structure. In a written answer published on 7 September 2021, the economy ministry told the National Assembly that names such as “cuir vegan”, “cuir de champignon” and “cuir végétal” are not acceptable and breach the decree. It also noted that the decree does not bind products lawfully made in or imported from another EU state, but that the general offence of misleading commercial practice still applies to them, punishable by a fine of up to €300,000 and two years’ imprisonment.

Germany has no leather name statute, but its courts apply the Unfair Competition Act (UWG). On 4 July 2025, in case 6 U 51/25, the Higher Regional Court of Cologne granted a leather industry association a preliminary injunction against an online seller of dog collars marketed as “Apfelleder” (apple leather). The collars contained no animal hide. The court held that consumers understand leather as a natural product made by tanning animal skins, that the “apple” prefix did not make the synthetic origin clear, and that a “vegan” note shown later on the product did not cure the misleading first impression created by the name.

What are the rules in the UK?

The UK has no leather name law like Italy’s. Footwear sold in the UK still follows the Footwear (Indication of Composition) Labelling Regulations 1995, which implemented the EU directive and use the same four categories. Everything else falls under the general ban on misleading actions and omissions, now in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Since April 2025 the Competition and Markets Authority can decide breaches itself and fine businesses up to 10% of global turnover, a change FLJ explains in the CMA’s new fining power. A product page that lets a shopper believe a PU bag is real leather, or hides the material altogether, is the kind of omission that law targets.

Is vegan leather an environmental claim?

Often it is used as one, and that brings in a second set of rules. “Vegan” describes the absence of animal inputs. It does not mean low impact, biodegradable or plastic free, and many vegan leathers are fossil-based plastics. A brand that pairs “vegan leather” with words such as eco, green, planet friendly or sustainable has made an environmental claim and needs evidence for it. In the EU, the rules under Directive 2024/825 that apply from 27 September 2026 ban generic environmental claims that cannot be backed by recognised excellent environmental performance, as FLJ details in the EU greenwashing ban. The same scrutiny applies in the UK and, under the FTC’s Green Guides, in the US. FLJ’s checklist on whether sustainability claims hold up legally is a useful test.

There is also a commercial debate about whether bio-based materials will ever displace hide at scale, which FLJ explores in The Diamond Already Fell. Leather Is Next. Whatever the answer, every new material has to fit within labelling rules written for animal hide.

How should brands label vegan leather products?

A workable approach for brands selling across the US, UK and EU looks like this. Name the actual material on the tag and the product page: polyurethane, PVC, or the specific composite with its main components. Treat “vegan” as a description of what the product does not contain, not of what it is. For shoes, use the “other materials” pictogram or wording for any non-leather part, under the 80% rule. For products made or first sold in Italy or France, avoid leather words entirely, including translations and compounds, and prefer neutral terms such as “plant-based material” or a registered material name. Keep sustainability claims separate and back each one with evidence. And check the whole customer journey: the Cologne court looked at the first impression created by the product name, not the small print further down.

Frequently asked questions

Is vegan leather real leather?

No. Leather in legal and technical terms is tanned animal hide or skin. Vegan leather is a substitute, usually polyurethane, PVC or a plant-based composite with a binder, and the law treats it as imitation leather.

Is it legal to sell products as “vegan leather” in the US?

The term is widely used, but the FTC Leather Guides say non-leather that looks like leather should disclose its nature, for example “imitation leather” or “vinyl”. Naming the actual material alongside “vegan leather” is the safer course.

Why can’t Italian brands say ecopelle?

Legislative Decree 68/2020 reserves pelle, cuoio and their derivatives for animal hide that meets the legal definitions. Compounds such as ecopelle and similpelle are expressly covered, with fines of up to €20,000 for manufacturers and importers.

Can a brand say “cuir vegan” in France?

Not for products governed by French rules. The economy ministry said in 2021 that “cuir vegan”, “cuir de champignon” and “cuir végétal” breach Decree 2010-29, which reserves “cuir” for material obtained from animal skin.

What did the Cologne “apple leather” case decide?

On 4 July 2025 the Higher Regional Court of Cologne held that selling dog collars made from apple waste as “Apfelleder” misled consumers, because the word suggested real leather and a later vegan note did not correct that first impression.

How should vegan leather shoes be labelled in the EU and UK?

Under directive 94/11/EC and the UK’s 1995 regulations, the upper, lining and sock, and outer sole must each be labelled by material. A synthetic upper falls under “other materials”, shown by pictogram or in words.

This article is general information on leather and imitation leather labelling in the US, EU and UK as of October 2026, based on regulations, government guidance and court decisions. It is not legal advice; labelling duties depend on the product, the materials and where it is made and sold.