§ 250.4 - Leather and leather imitations.

(a) Members of the industry should not make any direct or indirect representation concerning furniture or parts thereof covered with leather, or other material which simulates leather, which is false or misleading.

(b) Practices which should not be used under this section include, but are not limited to, the use of any trade name, coined name, trademark, 1 or other word or term, or any depiction or device, which could have the capacity and tendency or effect of misleading prospective purchasers into believing that furniture is covered in whole or in part with the skin or hide of an animal, or that the covering of furniture is leather, top grain leather, or split leather, when such is not the case. When a furniture covering is made from ground, shredded, pulverized or powdered leather, industry members should affirmatively disclose, in a manner provided for under § 250.1 of this part, either the true composition thereof, or the fact that it is not leather.

(c) In the case of non-leather material having the appearance of leather, industry members should conspicuously disclose facts concerning the composition thereof either by identifying the composition of the product (e.g., “vinyl covering”, “fabric-backed vinyl”, “upholstered in plastic”) or by a disclosure that the product is not leather (e.g., “imitation leather”, “not leather”), as provided for under § 250.1 of this part. [Guide 4]