Yesterday I bought a used recliner. It looks like leather but I suspected it was faux leather. Sure enough, there was a label on the underside. This label left me with more questions than I had to begin with. Clearly, my knowledge base of modern materials is lacking. 

How can something be 23% leather? Can you really mix leather with other materials and have it only be a percentage of the whole? I have only known “leather” or “not leather”, and I can’t stop thinking about this complex question. 

How do you determine 23%? Is it by weight? How does this statistic help anyone? I wonder if there is a particular section that is real leather, and the rest is fake? Where is that 23%? It all looks the same to me. And why is there no mention of wood, or of metal, which is clearly most of the chair weight? Can I call it a leather chair if it’s only 23% leather? That’s not a lot.  Is leather better when it’s mixed with polyurethane, polyester and cotton? So many questions. 

I will probably think about this every time I sit in this recliner. It is comfortable. It is an upgrade from the previous recliner. And, unlike many other chairs, it is thought provoking. Definitely worth the price, just sayin’…