PETA India has chosen to award the Progressive Business Concept Award to Meghalaya Environment Minister James P K Sangma for his intentions to 'produce vegan leather' in the northeastern state, authorities said on Wednesday. Volunteers from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in Meghalaya said the award would soon be presented to the minister. Sangma recently declared in Hyderabad that the Meghalaya government intends to make leather from the plentiful pineapples present in the mountainous state. He also stated that the administration wants to establish a climate change museum and include the topic into school curricula.

"In acknowledgement of his promises to aid local farmers by boosting vegan pineapple-leather manufacturing, a move that would also safeguard animals and the environment," PETA India Senior Campaigns Coordinator Radhika Suryavanshi told PTI. According to her, the minister correctly identified the climate issue as a "defining challenge of our age," and he is already trying to address one of the significant perpetrators - animal agriculture. "PETA India looks forward to seeing Meghalaya offer new possibilities for farmers while also helping to conserve the earth and the lives of animals through a booming pineapple-leather sector," the PETA official said.

According to Suryavanshi, PETA thinks that animal agribusiness, which includes animal slaughter for clothes, is responsible for almost a fifth of human-induced greenhouse-gas emissions. "Tanneries employ a range of caustic, poisonous chemicals that contaminate rivers to preserve the skins of cows, buffaloes, and other animals used for leather from decaying. Chromium, one of the most often utilised compounds in the tanning process, can cause cancer in employees who are exposed to it," she continued.
In 2020-21, India's footwear, leather, and leather goods exports were USD 3.68 billion.