Vegan Brand “NUUWAI” to Attend Court for Using The Term “Apple Leather”

NUUWAI, a vegan, Germany-based apple bag brand was reached by the VDL with the request to sign a cease and desist letter. The Federation believes that the terms “apple leather” and “vegan leather“, as used on their website, are “misleading” and “anti-competitive”.

We all know veganism is on the rise: many people choose to transition into a more conscious, ethical lifestyle, and the cruel industries are shaking due to the ever-growing demand for vegan products. Not so long ago, dairy industry players said plant milk shouldn’t be called milk, and today, we are back with a similar (and absurd) story.

The German Leather Federation (VDL) has recently reached NUUWAI, a vegan, Germany-based apple bag brand, with the request to sign a cease and desist letter. The Federation believes that the terms “apple leather” and “vegan leather“, as used on their website, are “misleading” and “anti-competitive”.

You’ve probably been living under a rock if you don’t know how cruel the leather industry actually is: its harmful impact on animals, people, and our planet has made many people ditch leather for the better. The vegan fashion industry is constantly growing and new, innovative vegan leather alternatives, such as cork, apple, and pineapple leather made the market’s potential net worth skyrocket to $85 billion within the next 5 years, according to a report by business consulting firm Grand View Research [GVR].

The New Era of Fashion

Our world is changing: a recent study by NEONYT shows that customers care more than ever about ethics and transparency. “Roughly 70% of respondents say that sustainability plays a role when shopping for clothing. 10% even say it depends on whether they actually buy a piece of clothing or not”. With customer’s recent awakening to health and nutrition, it is only natural that they would start questioning not only where their food comes from, but also their clothes, bags, and accessories. People start questioning more, demanding more knowledge and getting more information. 

With those facts in mind, leather industry pioneers are starting to tremble, and that’s what is probably happening now with the VDL, however, it is not clear why they chose to sue NUUWAI, while so many brands in the market are using the same term. “We feel like David against Goliath,” Said Svenja Detto, founder of NUUWAI. “Much larger companies use the term ‘apple leather’. Apparently, the German Leather Federation e.V. wants to ‘set an example’ for us as a startup, however, we will fight to continue using the terms”.

This story brings up a debate regarding the usage of non-vegan words and terms in a “veganized” way: the terms vegan “cheese”, “milk” and “leather” have been commonly used for years now, simply because these are known terms for people to easily understand. In fact, recently in Germany, through the work of animal organization PETA, the usage of the word “leather” has finally been extended to include “vegan leather” and “synthetic leather” on duden.de, a known German dictionary, recognizing that these are terms used in everyday language. 

In my opinion, If VDL genuinely wanted to “protect” customers, they’d probably sue dozens of brands using the exact same term- not one. 

How using the term “vegan/ apple leather” can be misleading, when it is indeed is so well-known and commonly used? I honestly have no idea.

NUUWAI will be a court hearing on Tuesday, August 20th, before the Hanover Regional Court, supported by PETA Germany. 

What is your opinion on the subject? let me know in the comments below.

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