No animals should suffer and die for fashion. Animals around the world are bred in atrocious conditions or stolen from their natural habitats before their skin, fur, and feathers are ripped from their bodies. Animal cruelty is never in style — please pledge never to wear clothing or accessories made from animals!
The following natural fibers and materials are derived from animals:
The natural fibers taken from sheep or lambs, goats, alpacas, llamas, camels, rabbits, bison, and oxen are collectively known as wool. Textiles made from or containing animals' wool may be labeled as the following:
The most commonly accessible wool is sheep's wool. Sheep naturally produce a thick coat of wool to insulate their bodies, and many people believe that sheep require human intervention to remove excess wool. However, this is only the case for the genetically modified sheep the wool industry has created to produce excessive amounts of wool. Wild sheep do not need to be sheared.
Young lambs raised for their wool undergo a horrific procedure called mulesing, which involves restraining the animals and cutting large chunks of skin from their backsides. This barbaric process causes the terrified lambs extreme pain and makes them highly susceptible to infections. When sheep are typically between 6–12 months old, they are roughly handled and violently shorn of their wool with sharp blades, and may suffer deep cuts and injuries as a result.
When sheep stop producing the desired amount of wool, they are typically sent to slaughter for their meat. Millions of live sheep are transported to the Middle East and North Africa every year, crammed onto filthy, overcrowded ships that can hold up to tens of thousands of animals. Many sheep do not survive live exports and die at sea due to disease, extreme temperatures, or starvation. Once the remaining sheep reach land, they are transported to large slaughter lots or individual buyers' homes to be killed.
Snakes, crocodiles, alligators, and other reptiles and amphibians are killed for their skins by violent methods to make belts, wallets, shoes, handbags, and more. These animals are farmed in wretched conditions until they reach a size that will be profitable. Investigations have shown that their skins may be cut from their bodies while they are fully conscious. The body parts of larger animals killed for their skins, such as crocodiles, may also be sold for meat.
Meat and foie gras producers profit twice off of ducks and geese: once for selling their bodies, and again for their feathers. The soft feathers closest to the birds' skin are known as "down." Due to its insulating properties, down is often used to make comforters, pillows, and jackets. Some birds have their feathers removed during slaughter, while other terrified, fully conscious birds are manhandled and undergo "live plucking" — restrained while handfuls of feathers are ripped from their bodies, leaving behind bloody wounds. Other birds, such as ostriches and peacocks, are farmed for their feathers to produce clothing and accessories.
Leather is collectively known as the skins and hides of animals that have been treated with chemicals and preservatives. While leather is produced from many animals — such as bison, zebras, deer, seals, walrus, and sharks — a large percentage comes from cows who have been slaughtered for meat. The gruesome and agonizing process of hacking the skins from terrified cows' bodies may even occur while the animal is still alive. Leather is often labeled simply as "Genuine Leather," with no indication of the animals who died for it or where it came from. Nike and Adidas notoriously use the skins of kangaroos, or "k-leather," to produce athletic shoes. Investigations have even shown that imported leather has come from slaughtered cats and dogs.
Animal victims of the fur trade — such as mink, foxes, rabbits, chinchillas, raccoons, raccoon dogs, sable, beavers, seals, and even dogs and cats — are brutally killed for their fur. They are held in cramped, filthy cages on fur farms and deprived of everything wild animals need to thrive. Due to intense boredom and stress, these animals suffer from self-mutilation, infected wounds, missing limbs, and cannibalism. They are bludgeoned to death, internally electrocuted, or gassed before their fur is torn from their backs, sometimes while still conscious. Fur-bearing animals are also trapped in the wild, where they suffer severe wounds and injuries for prolonged periods before trappers return to kill them. Before being made into fur trim, coats, and accessories, animal fur is treated with toxic chemicals that pollute the environment, harm native wildlife, and pose potential health risks to humans.
Silkworms naturally produce soft fibers to create cocoons. To collect the silk fibers, the cocoons are boiled and stirred — a horrifically cruel practice that tortures and kills the silkworms inside. The fibers are then made into textiles and silk products.
There's no doubt about it: wearing materials derived from animals is cruel and unnecessary. Please pledge not to purchase or wear clothing or accessories made with the skins, fur, or feathers of vulnerable animals.
