The list of products made from PVC is exhaustive, ranging from pipes to flooring, window frames, rain gutters, garden furniture, and automotive parts. Leatherette uses polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, as an alternative to the real thing. To learn more about synthetic leather, click here. Another term for fake leather is “pleather” which comes from the term plastic leather. The base of every type of faux leather is fabric in nature, which when treated with various dyes, chemicals as well as waxes and further given an artificial effect in the form of pores and grains which give it the texture as well as appearance of real leather. Synthetic leather or can be named faux leather or imitation leather or artificial leather. PVC leather, or sometimes simply called Vinyl, is made out of fabric leather backing, topped with a foam layer, skin layer and then a plastic based surface coating. Due to the toxins that can potentially be released during manufacture, when exposed to fire, or as it decomposes in landfills, PVC has been dubbed by some medical researchers and environmentalists as the "poison plastic." Breathability. PVC has more layers underneath its coating, making it tougher and more durable. The amount of surface coating applied to the leather influences whether or not the item can be described as 'genuine' leather. Products made from faux leather or wax canvas, are much more resilient and of higher quality, than products made from genuine or bonded leather. Crafters such as doll makers use vinyl to make leather look-alike doll clothing. Some people may be skeptical about whether or not all Michael Kors bags are really made from real leather. However, the use of PVC-based vegan leather has its own issues. Most leather is made of cowhide, although the skins of pig, deer, sheep and other animals are also common. PU can even wrinkle and stain like natural leather would while PVC can stand more extreme wear and weather condition. Will you need it to be pliable and flexible? PU and PVC leathers are also known as faux leather and as they are not made from animal products, they can also be called vegan leather. Some patent "leathers" are not actually leather, but a PVC imitation. Synthetic leather is a cheaper, a more versatile and an ethically friendly alternative to … Not only do they come in realistic leather-like finishes, they are also durable and helps you cut down production cost. The two primary versions of faux leather include PVC (hard to clean, not breathable) and types that begin with poly- (e.g., polyamide microfiber, polyurethane). Instead of polyurethane, PVC leather fabric is made by combining polyvinylchloride with stabilizers (to protect), plasticizers (to soften) and lubricants (to make flexible), and then applying to a base material. PVC can contain as much as 57% chlorine. The coating process was introduced to the United States and improved by inventor Seth Boyden, of Newark, New Jersey, in 1818, with commercial manufacture beginning September 20, 1819.Boyden's process (which he did not patent) used a lacquer coating that was based on linseed oil. Next, faux leather manufacturers need to formulate the plastic substances that they will bind with their base fabrics. PU. Does it need to look realistically leather-like? Due to its foam layer underneath its surface coating and skin layer, PVC leather is much less breathable than PU. PVC leather, also known as polyvinyl chloride, is an original type of imitation leather that is produced by substituting the hydrogen group with a chloride group in the vinyl groups. Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, PU and PVC are actually different in many ways. Plant-based Alternatives When softened with plasticizers, PVC is used to make medical devices, cling film, raincoats, credit cards, plastic bags and in the textile industry -- synthetic leather. Again, the base materials are typically polyester, cotton, nylon, or rayon. Structure. Not only do they come in realistic leather-like finishes, they are also durable and helps you cut down production cost. Due to its foam layer underneath its surface coating and skin layer, PVC leather is much less breathable than PU. That’s the basic difference between polyurethane leather and real leather, but let’s take a closer look at the two different forms of leather. Polyvinyl chloride was the first type of fake leather to be created in 1920s, and it was the type of material that manufacturers of those years needed because it was stronger and more resistant to the weather elements than the materials they were using then. A coating of PVC is bonded to a base layer of fabric, and then textured. 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