There are alternatives which don't attempt to imitate leather and there are substitutes which are designed to imitate leather. These substitutes are legal if sold as such, but become fakes when they are passed off as leather.

Organisations like BLC Leather Technology Centre often have to examine suspect products to determine whether they really are made of leather as they claim, and some of the common fakes are shown opposite.

Another product sometimes falsely described as leather is made by compacting leather fibres with a binding agent to hold them together. Because the fibres are stuck together rather than interwoven the product lacks the flexibility and durability of real leather. Legally this material must be described as 'bonded leather fibre'.

For assistance with consumer protection issues in the UK contact your local Trading Standards office which you can find via theTrading Standards Website