Polyurethane (PU)

Petro-synthetic

100/100

High plastic. The plastic behind most “vegan leather”.

Plastfri score

100

What polyurethane is

Polyurethane (PU) is the plastic behind most “vegan leather”: a film coated onto a fabric backing with a leather grain embossed on top. It also appears as foams, coatings on water-resistant fabrics, and the polymer basis of elastane.

The coating cannot be conditioned like hide — it dries, cracks, and peels within a few years, and the item is unrepairable at that point.

How Plastfri scores it

Polyurethane scores 100/100 as a fiber or coating. Products described as “PU leather” or “vegan leather” without a composition trigger high keyword estimates, marked “(est.)”.

The same weight applies everywhere: a product's score is the percentage-weighted plastic share of its listed fiber composition, and every weight is public.

Scored products containing polyurethane

ASITVO Wide Barefoot Shoes Men Sneakers Zero Drop Minimalist Cross Trainer | Gym Width Toe Box Grounding Knit No-Sew Upper TPU Toe and Heel Colorful (est.)~60/100

Scores marked ~ rest on incomplete material evidence; (est.) rows were estimated from product text rather than a listed composition. Browse the full database →

Plastic-free(r) alternatives

Leather — 0/100
Cotton — 0/100
Hemp — 0/100

Keep reading

Is faux (vegan) leather plastic?

Plastfri spots polyurethane for you. Scores every product while you shop — covers, dims, or labels the high-plastic ones.

Score a product — free