In the run-up to Black Friday next week, companies are outdoing each other with offers, and the fashion industry is heavily involved. "By choosing fashion items made with compassion for animals, everyone can help protect millions of sheep, geese, and fur-bearing animals suffering from mutilations or killed for their fur. The most animal-friendly fashion items are even completely animal-free," says Leony Malthaner, Campaigner at FOUR PAWS Switzerland.
Brands as Pioneers and Laggards
The Wear it Kind brand compass shows that more and more fashion brands are taking meaningful steps to improve animal welfare, including leading companies like COS, Cecil, and H&M. The companies that have improved the most compared to the previous year are H&M and Zadig & Voltaire, which have been recognised for their particularly positive measures in eliminating severe animal welfare issues, such as mulesing and live-plucking in the wool and down categories. At the other end of the spectrum are luxury giants Dior, Fendi, and Louis Vuitton, which continue to use fur and have not yet taken steps to avoid it in the future. The luxury segment also performs the worst overall and has the highest proportion of fashion brands that have not taken actions, especially towards reducing the use of fur and down.
"FOUR PAWS is committed to ensuring that animals are not forgotten in the discussion about ethics in fashion. The Wear It Kind brand compass allows consumers to make animal welfare-oriented decisions with just a few clicks, contributing significantly to the welfare of millions of animals used in the global fashion industry," explains Malthaner.
Focus on Wool, Down and Fur
The brand compass has found that 94% of assessed companies have taken measures against mulesing – a significant milestone considering that wool is the most commonly used animal fibre in the global fashion industry. Mulesing is an avoidable, painful procedure performed on merino lambs, which is carried out on the majority of merino sheep in Australia to prevent flystrike and affects over 10 million lambs annually. The ranking not only takes into account fashion brands that avoid mulesing but also those that do not use fur or live-plucked down and instead employ more animal-friendly materials.
Down in puffer jackets, outdoor clothing, and duvets often comes from geese in intensive farming conditions. Many animals suffer from the cruel practice of live-plucking. In live-plucking, geese have their feathers torn out brutally without any pain relief, often resulting in injuries and fractures, sometimes leading to death. This practice is carried out up to five to six times weekly. As the feathers grow back finer each time, there is an incentive for breeders to repeat this often. Birds held for breeding purposes in so-called parent stock farms are particularly at risk of this practice. FOUR PAWS is of the opinion that existing certifications cannot sufficiently exclude this risk due to the inherent challenges of supply chains and advises opting for certified recycled down.
The global animal welfare organisation also recommends steering clear of fur. There is no animal-friendly fur production, and even the certification programs of the fur industry do not offer adequate animal welfare standards. Additionally, real fur is often not clearly labeled and cannot be reliably distinguished from faux fur in terms of appearance or price.
Media Contact:
Oliver Loga
Press Manager Switzerland
FOUR PAWS – Foundation for Animal Welfare
Altstetterstrasse 124
8048 Zurich
Tel. +41 43 311 80 90
presse@vier-pfoten.ch
www.vier-pfoten.ch
Image Rights: FOUR PAWS