Is cashmere the same as wool?

While sheep and alpacas are shorn for their wool, it’s goats who are most often combed for cashmere production. Cashmere fibre is just another name for the hair of a specific breed of goat originating in Kashmir, India, where cashmere production is said to have begun around the 13th century.

Unlike the vast majority of wool production, most cashmere goats live nomadically with herders rather than confined to one fenced area for the entirety of their productive lives.

While advertisements may lead us to believe that goats grazing grasslands live happy lives and contribute positively to the ecosystem they are bred into, unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. Is cashmere ethical or sustainable? Let’s take a look.

Cashmere: how a status symbol got so cheap

People used to pay a lot more for cashmere than they do today. This isn’t unique to cashmere, as the fast fashion industry continues to spew out all kinds of garments for lower market prices while the true cost is footed by the people, animals, and environments harmed in their making.

As more people (particularly those in the West) demanded more cashmere knitwear, an industry that requires four goats to be combed for a single sweater has had to ramp up its pace. This has led to far lower welfare standards for goats and reduced payments to herders and industry workers, causing socio-economic struggles.

Four goats need to be combed for a single cashmere sweater.

This alone doesn’t pull expensive cashmere off the ethical hook, though—most problems with cashmere laid out in this guide occur industry-wide to varying degrees.

Impact on animals

The ethical questions around cashmere primarily centre around animal welfare—in this case, the wellbeing of goats. Before we get into the problems goats face in the cashmere industry, it’s worth knowing more about the animals themselves.

Goats are clever, known to be inquisitive, at times a bit cheeky, and highly expressive. They communicate with each other, recognising both positive and negative emotions just through the sound of a call from another goat. Researchers have compared the way goats engage with humans to our relationships with dogs.

So how are these sentient animals—capable of feeling pleasure just as much as pain—treated in the cashmere industry?

Combing: not as ‘cruelty-free’ as it sounds

Many companies selling cashmere sweaters, scarves, and beanies will explain on their websites that cashmere goats aren’t shorn like sheep but gently combed. This claim can make it sound as though the process is comfortable for the animals. However, this isn’t the case.

While in Iran, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Australia, cashmere goats are shorn—resulting in the same welfare problems found in wool supply chains—the majority of goats are combed with sharp-toothed metal combs. These combs can scratch deeply into their skin, sometimes causing bruises and injury.

The RSPCA, considered a conservative animal welfare organisation, does not support the use of these metal combs. Across Asia and most Middle Eastern countries where cashmere production is most common (China and Mongolia are the leading suppliers), here’s how cashmere collection usually goes down:

• Goats are tied up, all four of their legs wrapped together, so they are immobilised. This immobilisation is, as you would imagine, frightening and stressful.
• Goats are roughly combed for as long as an hour, on average. Investigations have shown goats screaming out in pain and distress during this long and gruelling process.
• While goats are often claimed to be combed when they are naturally moulting (shedding their thick winter coats), this moulting process varies based on unique differences between individuals. This means some goats in a herd may not be moulting come combing time.

A slaughter industry

Not only do cashmere goats suffer through the distressing combing process—as well as painful mutilations like castration (for males) without pain relief—they are killed once they are of little financial value.

Goats would naturally live to be about twelve years old, though some have lived far older. Goats treated as commodities in the cashmere industry don’t get to live out their full lifespan, as once their hair thins and brittles with age (just like our own), they are slaughtered.

In countries like Australia, goats are killed some years before reaching even half their natural lifespan. What’s more, if goats are born with a coat of hair that is considered “the wrong colour”, or if their hair isn’t thought of as “high quality” enough, they’ll be killed far sooner.

Across leading cashmere suppliers China and Mongolia, there are practically no laws protecting goats from cruelty. Here, investigations have shown goats to be killed while fully conscious.

Impact on humans and their land

While research shows that jobs involving slaughtering animals can lead to severe negative mental health outcomes, cashmere herders face other problems, too.

Reporting has consistently shown that rising demand for cashmere in the West is tied to a cashmere-debt cycle and poorer social outcomes for those working in the industry. It has also been directly linked to rising climatic temperatures, land degradation, and even some native species endangerment.

This reality can be devastating for many nomadic herders who feel they have no choice but to contribute to this destruction for our cashmere demand.

Yes, I know my goats are harmful to our grassland and the more we have, the worse our land becomes. I get that. But this is how we earn our money. All I can do is watch my grasslands disappear.

Lkhagvajav Bish – nomadic herder

Bish’s words reflect the broader struggle that comes with knowing the cashmere industry is causing detrimental harm to the land herders live on while feeling there is no choice but to continue unless demand dies down again. If consumers shifted away from purchasing new cashmere due to its detrimental impacts, we would need to factor the wellbeing of herders into that shift and find new, more just and sustainable ways to economically support them going forward.

Impact on the planet

Here’s the good bit: cashmere is biodegradable and a renewable resource. As far as materials go, it is more eco-friendly than some others.

However, the agricultural side of cashmere does have planetary impacts: 65% of Mongolia’s once biodiverse grasslands have been degraded due to cashmere goat grazing, as well as the impact of the climate crisis. The breeding of ruminant animals like goats and sheep who burp methane is responsible for 472 million metric tons of CO2e each year. Removing this problem would be equal to taking 103 million cars off the road for a year.

What’s more, goats are notoriously unfussy eaters, ripping all sorts of plants up from the roots, contributing to biodiversity loss. The sharp hooves of these goats also cut into and can degrade the earth underneath them.

While this all sounds grim, researcher Bulgamaa Densambuu has some good news about these grasslands: “90% of this total degraded rangeland can be recovered naturally within ten years if we can change existing management. But if we can’t change today, it will be too late after five to ten years.”

Is there more ethical and sustainable cashmere?

Given the significant harm that cashmere production causes goats, herders, and the environment they share, conscious consumers’ best bet is to avoid new cashmere.

If you’re really keen on snuggling into the warm fibre, opting for the many well-made vintage or second hand garments knitted from the material is the ideal option.

Recycled cashmere is available on the market and is an eco-friendly option, though keep in mind that many partly recycled garments are blended with new cashmere.

As always, buying pre-loved and caring for the clothes you already have is the most ethical and sustainable way to get dressed. But if you’re looking for new knitwear and want to avoid cashmere (as well as wool), here are some more ethical and sustainable materials you might want to keep an eye out for:

• Recycled plant-based materials like cotton
• More sustainably, fairly sourced cotton such as GOTS certified cotton
• Hemp and hemp blends
• Tencel, which has similar thermo-regulating properties
• Organic linen
• Recycled or second hand synthetic materials (though these do still shed plastic microfibres—consider buying a Guppyfriend wash bag, which many brands encourage)

If you’re worried about keeping warm, remember that there are lots of technical fabrics and garments designed for staying toasty made from recycled human-made materials, as well as more innovative plant-based ones.

The post Material Guide: How Ethical Is Cashmere and Is It Sustainable? appeared first on Good On You.

Leather may not be as eco-friendly as claimed

Leather boots, bags, wallets and jackets are considered essential staples in many wardrobes. With promises of being a long-lasting, “natural”, and even “biodegradable” material, it can be easy to believe there’s a way to source animal-derived leather that’s not harmful to the planet and, in fact, even part of a sustainable system. But is this accurate? Let’s explore the many hidden costs of leather and why consumers concerned about animal welfare and sustainability are best to avoid it.

How does leather impact the environment?

The environmental impacts of leather production extend across the lengthy and sometimes complex supply chain. Lots of people think leather is sustainable because it’s simply a by-product of the meat and dairy industries—in other words, that leather reduces waste. However, it’s not true that leather is a mere by-product. As a consequence, the environmental impact of cattle rearing should be “economically allocated” across the different sectors and products that profit from this system. So, what’s the impact of cattle ranching?

Deforestation

Deforestation is a serious problem across the fashion industry, caused by a reliance on unsustainable cellulose materials made from logged, often old-growth trees, and other land-inefficient material production. Too, among the most alarming harms caused by leather production is deforestation. As much as 80% of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest is tied to cattle ranching. This deforestation results in massive biodiversity destruction and, in turn, the endangerment of native animal and plant species. And it’s not just deforestation—all land and vegetation clearing is harmful to the planet, which is why land efficient agriculture is so important.

Another primary driver of deforestation is soy production, which is closely linked to leather, as well. Around 80% goes towards feed for cattle and other farmed animals. 77% of all agricultural land around the world is used to raise animals for slaughter and grow feed for them. The rearing of cattle is the leading driver of habitat destruction in Australia, with similar stories playing out across the globe.

You can see the visible impacts of deforestation in Brazil, the third most significant bovine skin exporter worldwide (close behind India and China). To put this back into a fashion context, 10,000 square metres of land in Brazil must be cleared or kept cleared to produce around nine leather jackets. It is likely this land was cleared illegally and that it is land in the biodiverse Amazon Rainforest. You need just over a metre of leather to make a jacket. By comparison, Piñatex’s pineapple leaf-based leather alternative needs just about 16 square metres of pineapple-growing land for each metre of material.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Let’s start with something you might have in your closet: a pair of cow skin leather boots. These seemingly innocuous shoes have an estimated climate footprint of 66kg of CO2e. Where does that CO2 come from?

Cattle are ruminant animals, which means that when they breathe, pass gas, and burp, they release methane—a greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than CO2 in the short term. The United Nations says, “livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems”.

Excluded from these calculations are further emissions, associated with land clearing. Land clearing for cattle rearing not only impacts biodiversity but also our warming climate. When we cut down and destroy trees, carbon is released into the atmosphere. This is one component of leather’s carbon impact.

Water, chemicals, and leather processing

Leather production is also water-intensive. Some estimates suggest that the creation of a cow skin tote bag might require more than 17,000 litres of water. Conventional cotton is often water-intensive, too, but studies find leather to be one of the most water-intensive materials that’s commonly used in fashion.

It’s not only that water is used up by leather production, but that it’s polluted, too. Skins are transformed into leather through the tanning process, and 90% of leather is tanned with carcinogenic chromium and often with formaldehyde and arsenic. These chemicals are detrimental to human health, reported to cause asthma, back pains, bronchitis, chronic dermatitis, DNA damage, and even cancer, to name a few. Today, the majority of tanneries have been moved to lower- and middle-income countries in an effort to export pollution problems. In these places, wastewater is often released into waterways untreated, impacting surrounding land and human and non-human animal communities.

What’s more, some evidence suggests that tanning processes—including vegetable tanning—can hinder the ability of animal skins to biodegrade. Considering biodegradability is hailed as one of animal leather’s main benefits over most non-animal alternatives, this is significant.

Vegetable-tanning is also far less innocent than it may first sound, requiring tannins found in the bark of trees, and with some reports finding “no significant differences” in the environmental footprint of leather tanned with tannins as compared to chromium.

How does leather impact people?

We know leather production causes harm to human communities nearby, like through toxic chemicals released into waterways. But are there more direct harms to people? The answer lies in the experiences of workers along the supply chain, from those rearing the cattle to those tanning the leather.

Tannery workers

Tannery workers are often exploited and face serious health risks, illness, and even death due to exposure to carcinogenic and harmful chemicals. For example, some reporting finds tannery workers have a 50% higher risk of pancreatic cancer linked to chemical exposure. Due to the pollution impact, industrial areas of China where leather is tanned are even referred to as “cancer villages” by local and international news outlets.

Farm workers

Forced labour can be a problem in leather supply chains, as with so many other fashion supply chains. Labour trafficking, debt bondage, and other forms of forced labour have all been recorded in Brazil, Paraguay, and Vietnam. This is of great concern given the lack of transparency in leather supply chains.

Many farm workers have also reported mental anguish related to their work, as they connect with the sentient animals they are paid to harm.

Slaughterhouse workers

We cannot forget that leather is produced in a slaughtering supply chain, and the human implications are significant. Slaughterhouse workers, like soldiers, commonly experience perpetration-induced stress (PITS), a mental illness similar to PTSD, but which comes from being “the direct reason for another being’s trauma”. According to the report by the Yale Global Health Review, as with PTSD, symptoms include “substance abuse, anxiety issues, depression, and dissociation from reality”.

Personal accounts from slaughterhouse workers killing cattle are disturbing and distressing, but the impact of slaughterhouse work doesn’t end there. Physical injuries are prevalent in this line of work, with around two injuries a week reported in the UK and two amputations a week in the US. But what’s perhaps even more concerning is what Yale researchers call “spillover in the psyches” of these workers who are often refugees, migrants, and other marginalised people, as many people with privilege avoid this work.

The mindset that slaughterhouse workers must maintain to survive their work can mean violence towards cattle transforms into violence against other people in their communities, too. Across 500 US counties, communities surrounding slaughterhouses fall victim to disproportionately high numbers of violent offences, including sexual assault.

How does leather impact animals?

While people on farms and in slaughterhouses report feeling traumatised by their treatment of animals, the animals themselves face intense trauma, only ending through slaughter.

Cattle and other animals tied up in leather supply chains like buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs, and so many others are sentient and capable of fear and pain as much as joy and pleasure. Cows get excited when they learn something new, enjoy music, and form close social bonds. Sounds sweet, unlike the treatment of these creatures.

Some of the softest leather comes from calves, sometimes reared and killed specifically for luxury fashion. Other times, calf skin sales are a way to increase profits in the dairy industry, where male calves (who cannot produce milk) are slaughtered at five days old. Separating these young calves from their mothers—who are forcibly impregnated—can lead to depression in calves and extreme distress for their mothers, who are known to chase after vehicles taking their young away.

Cattle kept alive for longer often face painful yet legal mutilation like dehorning, branding, and castration without any pain relief.

Despite a potential lifespan of over 20 years, cattle whose skins are sold after their slaughter in the beef industry are generally a couple of years old. Cattle killed in leather supply chains are often slaughtered while fully conscious, in countries where animal welfare laws are either not enforced or non-existent. Even in countries with supposedly high animal welfare laws, cattle are regularly found to be slaughtered while conscious.

But what about certified sustainable and ethical leather?

Some certifications and standards claim to ensure sustainable and ethical leather. But is this possible? What are these standards changing, if anything?

The Leather Working Group (LWG) label is often seen on leather goods labelled as “sustainable” and “ethical”. On the plus side, LWG addresses environmental issues like the use of harmful chemicals such as chromium, effluent treatment, and also promotes traceability. But it’s not perfect: the Leather Working Group certification only covers tanneries, meaning many brands—such as Adidas, H&M, Zara, Prada, and Off White which use LWG certified leather—have been linked to Amazonian deforestation. Further, these tannery audits do not require social auditing to protect workers, and no consideration of cattle wellbeing is made, either.

What about leather made from animals raised in “regenerative agriculture” systems? Proponents claim that there is a sustainable and low-impact way to continue the widespread use of animal agriculture in a warming climate, saying that “high intensity, short duration grazing management can not only achieve greater livestock productivity and health but also sequester significantly more carbon than either continuous grazing management or the removal of animals from the land”. However, as the University of Oxford’s massive “Grazed and Confused” report finds, animal agricultural systems—even if they are more holistically managed—still have worsened environmental impacts than non-animal, plant-based systems do. The report concluded that data could not properly back up many of the aforementioned claims.

If you don’t mind wearing cow skin leather and want to continue wearing it, the most sustainable way is to keep wearing what you already have. You can also ensure that this leather lasts longer by caring for it properly. You can also look for vintage and pre-loved leather or recycled leather—but make sure that it’s reputably certified to be recycled and not greenwashed. It’s worth noting, too, that recycled leather can often contain plastic.

Sustainable leather alternatives

Are there any better alternatives to leather that aren’t simply plastic? While for now, synthetic leather remains the most common alternative to animal skin leather, that’s starting to change. And even plastic is getting a little more environmentally conscious, despite it still being plastic. PU, or polyurethane, is now more common than PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is comparatively more harmful to the planet. Some synthetic leathers are now water-based or certified by standards like REACH and OEKO-TEX 100 which, while imperfect, are still a slight improvement on conventional synthetics.

PU synthetic leather has a reduced environmental impact during production when compared to cow skin leather, when considering climate, water, eutrophication, chemistry, and other impacts. This is worth keeping in mind if your options are limited (and you’ve already tried looking for pre-loved vegan leather— of which there is plenty). However, ideally, we should all be opting for more sustainable leather alternatives when buying new, especially as less synthetic options become more accessible.

Recycled, bio-based, and biodegradable leather alternatives

So, what are the options? First up, we have recycled leather (animal-based or synthetic), ideally certified by the Global Recycling Standard. Next, improving on purely synthetic leather are partly bio-based leather alternatives, like VEGEA, made from wine industry repurposed grape waste; Desserto, made from cacti; AppleSkin, made from—you guessed it—apple skins, cores, and seeds, and the earlier mentioned Piñatex, made from pineapple leaf fibre.

All of these materials are only partly bio-based and, like animal leather, won’t completely biodegrade. This is because they are coated in plastic, even if it’s a bio-based resin made from plant starch. While this is an improvement, it’s not the end of the road.

If you’re looking for a biodegradable leather alternative that’s available right now, opt for cotton-backed cork; washable paper, or more innovative and upcoming materials, like leaf-based Treekind—keeping in mind how new they are to the market and that comprehensive peer-reviewed studies on their environmental impacts might not yet exist.

The future of animal-free leather

In the future, we’ll also see much greater access to mycelium-based leather alternatives, like Mylo Unleather and Reishi. While these aren’t yet biodegradable, they’re far more climate, water, and land efficient and have some of the best tactile qualities.

There’s plenty to explore when it comes to the world of leather alternatives, and it’s an exciting time to see how this industry progresses. Material Innovation Initiative reporting has found that around 50 companies are currently working on next-gen leather-free materials. Almost all major brands are keen to use them, and there is plenty of financial support backing their development.

The future of leather-free fashion is looking good for people, the planet, and of course, our animal friends.

Learn more about sustainable and ethical materials

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Down feather: what’s all the fluff about?

Whether we think about it or not, hidden inside many of our puffer jackets and winter coats are feathers. Feather down usually comes from ducks and geese, which raises questions about their treatment. And while down is biodegradable, there’s a lot more to sustainability that we need to consider. So, is down feather ethical and sustainable?

A topic that’s ruffled feathers

While it can be easy to forget that people wear down feathers at all as it’s hidden inside our clothes, the down industry has had its fair share of criticism and controversy splashed across the media. The main reason for this? Live plucking.

Sometimes, ducks and geese have their feathers plucked out of their bodies while fully conscious. Their feathers are then sold, and when their new feathers grow back, they’re plucked again. This process is as painful as it sounds and can cause skin tears, severe injury, and even death.

But is this a problem across the down industry, or is there such a thing as ethical feather down? And what is the impact of feather down on the world around us?

Why do people wear down feathers at all?

• The downy feathers of birds are very warm, and until somewhat recently, there have not been alternatives that are as warm, if not warmer
• Down feathers are light, which can be useful if you’re layering clothes to keep warm
• Down feathers are biodegradable

But the supply chains which bring down feathers to the fashion industry are complex and come with a host of environmental costs and ethical issues—let’s take a look.

Impact on animals

Let’s get straight to it—the down industry is a slaughter industry. In the words of the International Down and Feather Bureau, “there are no farms that raise ducks and geese purely for the procurement of down and feather”. This fact doesn’t mean feathers are a worthless by-product of the meat industry, but—as with leather—down is a valuable co-product of meat production, bringing significant profit. The global down and feather market value continues to increase, with the industry estimated to be worth over $6.6 billion USD. Each year, an unimaginable 3.3 billion ducks are slaughtered across the globe—that’s 9 million each day.

Ducks and geese are thinking and feeling individuals just like any other animals—humans included. Ducks bob their heads around when they’re excited, and they’re highly social. Meanwhile, geese choose life partners and even mourn their deaths.

Sadly, even Responsible Down Standard certified down, and other supposedly “ethical” down certifications do not prevent ducks and geese from being slaughtered. While there is merit in attempting to reduce the amount of suffering involved in an animal’s life, it’s important to remember that commercial systems that treat animals as means to profit will always include a level of cruelty and eventual killing.

Let’s explore some of the most concerning aspects of the down industry.

False claims of cruelty-free feather collection

Many people choose to avoid down from birds who have been plucked alive, given how much suffering this causes. However, it’s been found that even Responsible Down Standard certified down suppliers and companies—which assure no live-plucking—have continued to live-pluck ducks and geese on farms. Suppliers have been recorded admitting to lying for the sake of the profit: “nobody dares to buy it if you say it’s live-plucked“.

Similarly, some farms and fashion brands claim feathers are “collected” during birds’ natural moulting process each year. It’s argued that feathers loosen during moulting, meaning that feather collection is a pain-free process. Unfortunately, all birds on a farm won’t moult simultaneously, so there’s no way to ensure many birds aren’t still being painfully plucked.

Foie gras, force-feeding, and feather down

Even if down isn’t sourced from ducks and geese who have been plucked alive, it can come from birds who have lived through suffering. Namely, by way of foie gras. Foie gras has been banned in dozens of countries, and most recently, in the city of New York. Foie gras means “fat liver” in French and is a paste made from the livers of ducks and geese who have been confined to cages and force-fed fatty food with a pipe that is pushed down their throat. This process can grow a duck’s liver up to ten times its normal size, and after 15 weeks of this pain and suffering, ducks are slaughtered.

Whether raised for meat or foie gras, ducks are killed at only a few weeks or months old, despite naturally living for over a decade. While we won’t get into the details, the slaughter of ducks is inherently violent.

Feather down from factory farms

The vast majority of ducks are factory farmed, as with most animals reared for production worldwide. Ducks and geese are aquatic birds, and if you’ve ever seen these birds while out walking, you’ll know that they spend the vast majority of their time on the water or nearby it. Despite this, ducks on factory farms—packed into sheds full of hundreds or thousands of other birds—are largely denied surface water to float in. This can cripple birds, who are not built to carry their weight on land so often.

The confinement ducks and geese face, cramping them in close quarters with so many other birds, can also result in psychological harm and related aggression between birds. Sometimes, factory farms cut or burn the ends of birds’ beaks off to avoid injuries when fighting rather than addressing the root cause.

A lack of animal protection laws

Down predominantly comes from nations with no or insufficient laws prohibiting violence against animals, especially farmed animals. Across the globe, animal laws are far worse than you might assume. China, where the vast majority of down is sourced, has no national laws prohibiting violence against animals. Similarly, while nations including Australia, America, and the United Kingdom have animal protection laws, they essentially exempt farmed animals to protect industry interest. In other words, cruelty to animals like ducks and geese is legal, so long as it can be deemed “necessary” to the industry’s profits—like the industry that sells feather down, which goes into jackets and coats.

Impact on the planet

Not only does down production harm ducks and geese themselves, but the planet is also impacted. While down is technically biodegradable—meaning it won’t hang around for years to come should it be discarded and it won’t leach toxins into the soil—there’s more to consider.

Reduced biodegradability

Here’s the thing: while down may be biodegradable, feathers are always kept inside of jackets and coats, and normally, this outer shell is not made from a biodegradable material. Even if a puffer jacket is made from recycled polyester, making it slightly more sustainable, this synthetic acts as a barrier between the outside world and the down—meaning it won’t be able to effectively biodegrade.

With equal to a garbage truck of textiles and clothing being sent to landfill every second around the world, the polyester of a synthetic jacket filled with down can take as long as 200 years to break down. If we want to talk about biodegradability in fashion, we need to consider garments in full, not solely the elements inside of them.

Inefficient animal rearing

As with all animal agricultural systems, rearing ducks is inefficient, and that means you need to put more into the system that aims to produce feathers and meat than you get out of it. When we factory farm birds, it’s not only the land the farm stands on that’s being used up, but all of the land used to grow monoculture cereal crops that ducks and geese eat, too. 36% of all crop calories grown worldwide go directly to farmed animals, but if we moved away from a reliance on animal agriculture, we could produce more with less land and allow more land to be rewilded, assisting in biodiversity restoration and carbon sequestration.

Eutrophication

Factory farms have another significant impact on the planet, called eutrophication. Eutrophication is a process in which a body of water becomes too rich in particular nutrients, resulting in the dense growth of blue-green algae that can suffocate everything underneath the water’s surface. This eutrophication can result in dead zones where aquatic life cannot survive. Runoff from factory farms like those confining ducks and geese is full of phosphorus-rich faeces, which often results in eutrophication.

Water worries

Water surrounding slaughterhouses—not just factory farms—is also put at risk by the down industry. When ducks and geese are slaughtered and later plucked of their feathers, it often occurs in abattoirs that release massive amounts of wastewater. The organic matter in this wastewater is not only bad for the planet but for surrounding (usually lower-socioeconomic) communities, too. A slaughterhouse killing birds has even been sued for dumping so much wastewater that members of the surrounding human community reportedly faced miscarriages, congenital disabilities, epilepsy, and other illness.

Can you buy ethical down feathers?

All down comes from ducks and geese who have been slaughtered or plucked alive. Unfortunately, there is no getting around that. Even when considering certifications like the Responsible Down Standard, birds live in factory farms up until they are killed far short of their natural lifespan and often face all sorts of harm until then.

With all of this in mind, there is no way to buy new feather down which does not cause direct suffering for birds. If you really need to buy feather down (though you’ll see some excellent, sustainable and ethical alternatives below), it’s best to try to find something pre-loved. Of course, you can also buy pre-loved non-down filled jackets and coats.

Finally, recycled down is not always 100% recycled, so if you’re considering buying something new made with recycled down, make sure to ask how the brand knows that 100% of the feather down is reclaimed from post-consumer products like duvets and pillows and not from cruelly treated birds.

Animal-free down alternatives

The best way to protect ducks and geese from harm is to choose animal-free alternatives to down. In the past decade, alternatives have become much more sustainable, and this innovation is only continuing. Some of the most sustainable alternatives to down include:

• PrimaLoft P.U.R.E
  This material is proven to be warmer than down, and unlike down, it is water-resistant. It is made of post-consumer waste plastics, resulting in a 48% emissions reduction during production.
  
• PrimaLoft Bio
  With the same benefits as other PrimaLoft materials, this material is 100% recycled and can completely biodegrade within two years.
• Thermore
  Certifiably made from 100% recycled, post-consumer PET plastic, this material is durable and long lasting. One of the benefits of using an innovative material like this, rather than feather down, is that it doesn’t stay damp, grow mould, or become heavy like wet down does.
  
• Recycled materials
  While PrimaLoft and Thermore are known as one of the most sustainable and effective recycled alternatives to down, many coat fillings are made from post-consumer waste. Given these fibres are inside of another material and in a garment that isn’t often machine washed, microfibre shedding is less of a concern, though still something to consider.
  
• Flowerdown
  This innovative material is becoming increasingly accessible and is made of wildflowers combined with aerogel and a biopolymer, increasing water repellency and thermal insulation while maintaining biodegradability.

Brands using down alternatives

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A woolly topic

The wool industry has a fairly wholesome image, which we take comfort in, too, as we picture well cared for sheep, roaming rolling hills. We imagine they’re rounded up every so often for a haircut which, if done with care, is an essential part of the life of a sheep. It seems as though the wool industry is mutually beneficial: sheep are cared for, we get warm woolly clothes. Win-win, right?

Unfortunately, the reality is far more complex. More and more investigations of the wool industry have found this picturesque ideal far from the truth. A few years ago, ethical outdoor clothing company Patagonia discovered animal cruelty practices in what they had believed were ethical farms. The world has been shocked by countless undercover exposés revealing painful mulesing and tail docking, two “surgical” practices legally performed with tools like knives, often with no pain relief.

But are these practices all we need to avoid for wool to be ethical? And how does wool production impact the world around us?

Why do we wear wool?

• Wool is breathable and a natural insulator
• Wool has an ability—similar to Tencel—to react to changes in the body’s temperature, meaning it keeps you cool in summer and warm in winter
• Wool is usually biodegradable. It decomposes readily, much like cotton and other plant-based fibres. That means once a woollen garment is worn out, you can bury it in the ground, and it will eventually compost. As long as it’s not superwash wool, which is coated in plastic.

But wool comes with a host of environmental costs and ethical issues—let’s take a look.

Impact on animals

Sheep have been domesticated for an extended part of human history but didn’t start as they are now. Humans have selectively bred sheep to maximise the amount of wool they carry. As a result, sheep risk death from heat exhaustion if not shorn. The sheep’s original ancestor, mouflon, could naturally shed their winter coats. The sheep we know today only continue to exist because we cyclically breed and slaughter them for our consumption of meat, wool, and sheepskins. We could see a future without sheep farming if we opted for plant-based materials instead and if lab-grown materials (and proteins) became a viable alternative.

In Australia, one of the world’s largest wool producers, it is widely believed that there are comprehensive animal welfare laws and standards. However, current Australian animal welfare legislation exempts farmed animals from the protections our dog and cat friends have. Sheep and other farmed animals are sentient creatures like pets and have an equal capacity to feel pain. There is also ample evidence that proves sheep are not as unintelligent as popular culture makes them out to be. Did you know sheep can remember as many as 50 sheep faces in addition to familiar human faces?

Some people consider alpaca wool a kind alternative to sheep’s wool, as it is often marketed as small-scale and sustainable in the industry. Unfortunately, an investigation into the leading production country of alpaca wool, Peru, has shown the opposite to be true. Following the release of footage showing alpacas suffering as they are tied down for shearing, even UNIQLO has banned the fibre. While these findings are always shocking and upsetting, it’s powerful to know that people raising their voices against poor treatment can foster change, even in big brands.

Painful standard practices

Current laws allow for standard practices such as castration, tail docking, and mulesing, all without pain relief. There is discussion about potentially making pain relief mandatory for mulesing in some places—as is already the case in New Zealand and Victoria—but not for castration or tail docking yet.

Both tail docking and mulesing are practised to reduce the risk of flystrike. Flystrike happens when blowfly eggs laid on the skin hatch, and the larvae feed on the sheep’s tissue. It can cause infection and even death. Mulesing involves cutting skin from the buttock region with a knife, and tail docking is exactly what it sounds like—cutting or otherwise severing sheep’s tails. These painful practices are recommended to be performed on lambs only a few weeks old.

Fortunately, flystrike can be avoided without mulesing or tail docking, thanks to regular surveillance, crutching (shearing around the buttocks of a sheep), and other interventions. We see this happen at rescue animal sanctuaries. However, large flock sizes are often more profitable, with the average Australian flock containing 2,700 sheep and worldwide flock sizes generally being large. It is near impossible to ensure that such a large number of sheep receive this level of care and attention in the industry.

The good news? Numerous brands are pledging to use mulesing-free wool or go wool-free altogether in response to the painful practice. This is a clear indication that animal rights are being more considered. Learn more about Four Paws’ #woolwithabutt campaign and add your signature to support mulesing-free wool. However, mulesing is only one form of mutilation performed on sheep, and we’d love to see the others be considered, too.

Wool and meat

The wool industry is often considered different from or “kinder” than the leather industry because skin comes from a dead animal, whereas wool may not. However, the wool and meat industries are intrinsically linked, as animals used for their wool are usually slaughtered for their flesh once they stop producing quality wool. This is the case for sheep and alpaca wool production.

Three-quarters of the sheep in Australia are merino—known as the “wool” breed—with most others being crossbreeds. Sheep are considered “dual purpose” by the industry, and even merinos are used for both meat and wool.

Sheep who are no longer producing wool of a financially viable quality for the industry are killed. Generally, this is because they reach 5 or 6 years old, and their wool degrades just like our hair does as we age. These sheep, who can naturally live up to twelve years old, are considered “cast for age” and sent to slaughter, often through the live export industry. The conditions on live export ships are horrific, and many animals die before they arrive at their slaughter destination due to stress, starvation, and overheating. To put this into perspective, out of the 3,000 brands that Good On You has rated, only one single brand has outlined a plan where sheep are not slaughtered when they stop producing viable wool.

Winter lambing

If we rewind to the beginning of a sheep’s life, there’s even more to uncover. Lambs in the wool and meat industries are generally bred to be born in the winter season. This is a cost-effective decision for the industry, as it means the lambs have green grass to fatten up on in spring, reducing the need for costly supplementary feed.

Fifteen million lambs die in the first 48 hours of their lives each year due to exposure to the cold, starvation, and neglect. This number is in part so high because the industry has selectively bred sheep for generations to have higher rates of twins and triplets. Twins and triplets are more likely to be smaller, weaker, and unable to withstand the harsh conditions they are born into.

Similarly, it is difficult for mother ewes to look after more lambs—especially triplets, as they only have two teats to feed their lambs from—and they are more prone to birthing complications and death. Farmers are encouraged by the industry to cull ewes who have been unable to keep their lambs alive, as they are considered less profitable mothers.

Some organisations take in orphaned lambs who are found or handed over from farmers who don’t want to see them die, like Lamb Care Australia. It’s comforting to know such missions exist while the broader issue continues to be addressed.

All of this suffering is avoidable as there are plenty of similar materials that aren’t made from animals. A great thermo-regulating alternative to wool is Tencel, and you can find more fabric recommendations at the end of the article.

Impact on the planet

Other than it being unnatural for our earth to have so many sheep on it—we breed and kill a staggering 500 million sheep annually worldwide—wool is a natural fibre, and it will biodegrade. Biodegradable materials are, of course, far better for the environment when considering post-consumer waste than synthetics like nylon, polyester, and acrylic, as these are forms of plastic. Like any other plastic, these fabrics take years to break down if they are discarded. Not to mention the pesky microfibres they shed in washing machines that end up in waterways.

But biodegradability is not all there is to the sustainability considerations of a fabric. Even when comparing Australian wool with Australian grown cotton, Collective Fashion Justice’s CIRCUMFAUNA initiative found that wool has a very high impact, with the production of a wool knit jumper emitting 27 times more greenhouse gas emissions than a cotton one. And did you know that heat-generating emissions from land clearing for pasture, enteric fermentation (animal belching and breathing), burning savannah, manure, and “livestock” production generates 83% of all Australian agricultural emissions?

As we continue to compare Australian grown fibres—though cotton is not faultless—we also see that to produce one bale of wool, a whopping 367 times more land must be kept cleared than for a bale of cotton. In fact, animal farming generally is the world’s largest user of land resources. Pasture and arable land used to grow feed for farmed animals represent almost 80% of total agricultural land, and 26% of the earth’s ice-free surface is used for grazing. When we clear land, we cause a loss of biodiversity, wild animals lose their natural habitat and have an increased risk of endangerment and extinction, and greenhouse gas emissions are released as trees are cut down. Intensive sheep farming also results in land degradation and even desertification.

But it’s not all bad news. Environmental scientists are finding that with a transition away from animal agriculture and towards plant-based, recycled, and lab-grown production, we could rewild so much land that 99-163% of our carbon emissions budget could be sequestered.

Can you buy ethical wool?

When buying wool, you will sometimes come across standards and certifications that claim to ensure the fair treatment of animals, such as the Responsible Wool Standard and ZQ Merino Standard.

However, neither of these standards prevent the slaughter of sheep nor the practice of winter lambing. While ZQ Merino Standard does not mention pain relief for tail docking or castration on their website, the Responsible Wool Standard requires it “when suitable pain relief is available”. Importantly, these practices would not be necessary if we didn’t breed farmed animals so intensively, and we would never consider it ethical to cut off the tail of a dog or a cat, even with pain relief. In fact, it’s illegal in many places.

If you do feel you need wool, opt for vintage, pre-loved, or recycled wool goods that don’t contribute to any of the harms facing sheep and the planet while keeping landfills less full.

Animal-free wool alternatives

If you feel like you’d rather steer clear of the fluffy white fabric, there’s a bunch of materials you can wear instead that are better for people, the planet, and of course, our animal friends:

• Recycled or second hand synthetic materials (though these do still shed microfibres—consider buying a Guppyfriend wash bag, which many brands encourage)
• Recycled or second hand plant-based materials like cotton
• More sustainably, fairly sourced cotton such as GOTS certified cotton
• Hemp and hemp blends
• Tencel
• Organic linen

It’s helpful to note, too, that woollen knitted garments are not the only way to keep warm in winter. There are plenty of technical fabrics and garments designed for warmth made from recycled human-made materials and innovative plant-based ones.

Stay warm in these sheep-free vegan knits

The post Material Guide: How Sustainable and Ethical Is Wool? appeared first on Good On You.

Humans are technically animals too, and we have more in common with non-human animals than we have differences. Most importantly, we’re all sentient beings who think and feel! Because of this crucial similarity, some advocate the importance of vegan fashion and animal rights, and others speak out against exploitative and unethical labour practices that hurt humans. But what about when these issues become intertwined? What about the people who work in the supply chains that transform animals into materials? What is their experience like? Let’s break down some of the human rights issues in animal-derived material supply chains and how we can support a more just fashion system for all.

Slaughterhouse workers

Slaughterhouse workers are part of many fashion supply chains, though we mightn’t think of them when we ask “Who made my clothes?” Since animal-derived materials like leather, down, and others are not by-products but profitable income streams for the fashion industry—even the wool industry is a part of a slaughtering system—sadly, when buying clothing made of animals, we’re almost always contributing to the funding of slaughterhouses.

No one really wants to work in a slaughterhouse, as most of us can’t bear the thought of hurting an animal, let alone killing them. So, vulnerable communities are left to do it. Across the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and many other places, a large portion of these workers are migrants, undocumented people, people of colour, people with less access to education, and refugees. In Canada, refugees have even been offered ‘express entry’ away from danger if they agree to work inside a slaughterhouse as there is a lack of people willing to do the work. The leather in our shoes or bags is taken from dead cattle by these slaughterhouse workers, and there are many ways this impacts them, both physically and mentally.

The mental and physical tolls of the job

Working in a slaughterhouse is dangerous. Serious injuries are common, with the Health and Safety Executive labelling UK abattoirs as an industry at the ‘top end’ of its ‘concern level’. Human Rights Watch referred to US slaughterhouse work as the most dangerous factory job in the country. Slaughtering lines are increasingly fast and have even caused some worker deaths. And during the COVID-19 crisis, workers have been disproportionately infected with the virus while facing unjust and illegally poor work conditions.

Unsurprisingly, working in an industry that is fuelled by the killing of animals can take a mental toll on the people in it, too. Many slaughterhouse workers have suffered perpetration-induced stress disorder, considered by the Yale Global Health Review as the “psychological consequences of the act of killing.” Symptoms include drug and alcohol abuse, anxiety, depression, paranoia, and dissociation. Essentially, it’s like PTSD but comes about due to being the “direct reason for another being’s trauma.” These conditions are sometimes linked to suicidal tendencies by workers and even increased violent crime rates against surrounding communities.

Cruelty-free products on the rise

Fortunately, there are plenty of materials that are not born of slaughter-based supply chains. Whether it’s an organic cotton knit or a cactus leather bag, the options available today are continually growing! According to Lyst’s Conscious Fashion Report, searches for ‘vegan leather’ have risen by 69% year on year, while searches for real fur have declined 8% year by year. We may have a cruelty-free fashion system sooner than we realise!

Farm workers

If we go farther back into the supply chains behind animal-derived materials, we find living animals and the places they are kept and raised until they are killed. For ducks whose feathers end up in down jackets, these are usually factory farms where they do not have access to sunlight or water they can properly bathe in. For sheep and cattle in the wool, sheepskin, and leather industries, it’s pasture, and then, often feedlots. So what’s it like to be a human working in these places, with these animals?

The reality of farm life for people and animals

To answer this question, we have to understand some more of what goes on in farms that we aren’t always aware of. Many animals face painful and brutal treatment, for example, tail docking or horn disbudding. Neither of these painful procedures requires pain relief by law. Farm workers—not the people who own the farm and call the shots—perform these sad tasks. One farm worker named Toni, who grew up on sheep farms in Australia producing wool and meat, told Collective Fashion Justice, “It’s hard to say what was most confronting about working on the farm. We are brought up with the death and abuse of animals… I did ask once about the lambs limping off after mulesing [where their skin is sliced off their backside]. My heart broke. The farmer’s reply, ‘they’re just stupid sheep.'”

Another farmer, Jay Wilde, who grew up in farming and took over his Dad’s cattle farm in the United Kingdom, said he had to “steel himself” to send the animals he had connected with to the slaughterhouse, and that “you couldn’t help thinking, ‘do they know what’s really in store for them?’ and wondering if they knew that you would betray their trust in you.'” Jay transitioned into plant-based farming and shared his story in an award-winning short film.

But the issues facing farm workers are not only mental. According to Fashion Revolution’s ‘Out of Sight’ report, “Cattle ranching in Brazil accounts for more than 60% of the nation’s Dirty List—a list of employers that are linked to labour trafficking, debt bondage, and other forms of forced labour.” Brazil is one of the top producers of cattle skins that are tanned and produced into leather. The report stated that similar “poor working conditions, labour trafficking, and instances of forced labour” are documented across some communities in Paraguay and Vietnam and their leather industries. Many fashion brands aren’t transparent about where the skins they use come from initially—nor where they were finished or tanned—making these problems even more complex and challenging to untangle if not avoiding leather.

Transparency is increasing

Injustice often thrives in darkness, and so it is very positive that transparency is increasing all across the fashion industry. Technologies like FibreTrace are working to improve fashion’s transparency through supply chains. Similarly, Fashion Revolution continues to highlight issues in the industry and harness the power of people for good. Remember, what we choose to buy, not buy, and say to brands, is important.

Injustice often thrives in darkness, and so it is very positive that transparency is increasing all across the fashion industry…Remember, what we choose to buy, not buy, and say to brands, is important.

Shearers and herders

Those paid to shear sheep for the wool industry are not paid per hour of work but instead, based on the amount of wool in weight or the number of sheep they shear. These kinds of payment rates are similar to a piece rate that garment workers face, where they are paid per garment they sew, rather than for their time working. This can result in workers being paid below the minimum wage, and because of the incentive for speed, it also can mean higher rates of cuts and injuries for sheep and workers alike. The industry faces high rates of work-related deaths, injuries, and illnesses.

Shearing sheds are often fairly small sheds out in the bush. This results in the facilities for workers being below what is acceptable to offer any person. For example, one shearer told the ABC that safety conditions were “just getting progressively worse” and stated that workers often didn’t have access to a toilet, running water or proper safety equipment. The same ABC report noted that some shearers recognise a drug problem in the industry and that the Australian Workers Union has received two dozen reports of illegal payment in drugs and cash.

Not-so-luxurious cashmere

Meanwhile, herders working in the cashmere industry can face a different kind of struggle. Cashmere has become increasingly cheap over the years, and this has come at the expense of goats, the people herding them, and their land. Herders in major cashmere production country Mongolia are often underpaid and overworked by those they supply. The growing cashmere industry has also contributed heavily to the destruction of native Mongolian grasslands, with nomadic herders recognising that their work contributes to this devastation but that they have little choice due to the high demand for the fibre in fashion. One nomadic herder, Bish, was documented saying, “Yes, I know my goats are harmful to our grassland and the more we have, the worse our land becomes. I get that. But this is how we earn money. All I can do is watch my grasslands disappear.”

Community-driven activism in fashion

Don’t despair, though—reports suggest that 65% of these grasslands can be recovered with sustainable action. And while this issue is complex, it seems that a form of community-driven, supported transition away from cashmere could benefit people like Bish. It’s crucial to know our fashion activism can extend beyond shopping ethically and into supporting and getting involved with grassroots work to support communities around the world.

Silk industry workers

While considered a luxurious material, there are often human rights violations behind silk, a material produced from the cocoons of caterpillars usually boiled alive. Across the largest silk producing countries of China, India, and Uzbekistan, forms of forced labour are documented as serious problems.

A report from Kashmir, India, found that most silkworm rearers suffered from issues including back pain, allergies, respiratory problems, eye irritation, and headaches due to their work. Other silk workers, who work with boiling water to unravel cocoons, are commonly burned and even experience secondary infections, like dermatitis. Work is often performed in the sericulture (silk production) industry in small, poorly ventilated spaces without proper health and safety equipment, further contributing to such problems.

Child labour is still common in the industry

In India, reports look into bonded child labour and its prevalence in the industry. In one piece of Hindu coverage, a 12-year-old silk weaver named Mehboob states that he has “learnt nothing else” in his life other than how to perform his work. Of course, children do not begin working in any industry unless other issues are at play. In the same report, an adult states that “All child weavers come from poor families. If they do not work, who will feed them?” India’s caste system, which places a hierarchy on human lives, commonly plays into the silk industry’s child labour problems, with ‘low-caste’ children at a higher risk of being forced into work.

In Uzbekistan, children as young as five years old have been reported to work from 4 AM until midnight picking the mulberry leaves fed to silkworms. At the same time, other forms of forced and illegal labour take place. The government in Uzbekistan controls the silk industry, and officials reportedly often threaten silk farmers with loss of land, violence, and prosecution if production targets are not met.

Innovative silk alternatives step up to the plate

There are more and more alternatives to silk being used by designers today, and many of these are far less tied up in complicated and murky animal supply chains like these—and they’re free from harm to silkworms!

Tannery workers

People working in the tanneries that chemically transform sheep, cattle, and other animal skins into leather are often people of colour from countries including China and India. Because of the steep environmental impacts of leather tanning, these workers battle something known as ‘environmental racism’, with 95% of US tanneries now operating overseas, where they pollute communities and the surrounding environment. Among these dangerous and polluted conditions in tanneries, sometimes children are made to work, as in the silk industry.

Living and working with cancer-causing chemicals

Tannery workers primarily deal with carcinogenic chemicals like formaldehyde, arsenic and chromium—with which 90% of leather is tanned. Carcinogens cause cancer, so tannery workers suffer cancer at high rates due to their exposure to these chemicals. In fact, communal areas around places like tanneries in the top tanning country China have been referred to as “cancer villages.” Workers and their communities face serious health hazards due to chemical pollution that runs through waterways used for drinking and bathing by both humans and other species. The Toxic Price of Leather, a short documentary film released by the Pulitzer Centre, looks more deeply into some of these issues.

Small positive steps

On a small scale, the use of chemicals causing harm to these communities is changing and being questioned, which is positive. Luckily, there are also alternatives to leather that avoid the problem altogether!

What we can do as conscious consumers

Recognising the human rights issues in animal-derived fashion supply chains means recognising that injustices are often intertwined. People who work for so little pay in industries built upon the exploitation and slaughter of animals are exploited in turn. This is not a coincidence but an inevitable reality of a fashion industry that typically accepts any form of oppression as a part of the production of clothing. For this same reason, the injustices facing garment workers are rooted in both racism and patriarchy. It is essential that we consider this information, what oppression really means, and how it manifests within the fashion industry so that we can decide what we want to support when we buy clothing and what we would rather avoid.

Not only can we empower ourselves with information that guides our choices around what we choose to wear or not wear, but we can use our voice to make a change:

• We can ask brands about who made their clothes and what they are made of.
• We can ask brands for greater transparency about what this means, who it impacts, and how.
• We can educate ourselves and spread information about animal supply chains in fashion, growing the community of people who can make positive change in this area.
• We can opt for materials made outside of animal supply chains, from plants, recycled materials, and other innovative sources.
• We can share our opinions with brands about the more ethical practices and materials we would rather see and wear, too. A great way to do this is through the Your Voice function of the Good on You app, which you can find at the bottom of each brand page!

Our voices as citizens who get dressed are powerful because fashion brands need us more than we need them. We can use education as a tool to create a total ethics fashion system. Are you with us?

Author bio:

Emma Håkansson is the founding director of Collective Fashion Justice, a non-profit dedicated to the creation of a total ethics fashion system. She is an author and writer, with her written work and research on ethics, sustainability, animal rights and fashion being published across Vogue Business, Earth Island Journal, Fashion Journal, and more. Håkansson is also an award-winning film-maker, with her short film Willow and Claude winning Best Documentary at the Fashion Film Festival in Amsterdam. She has consulted on sustainable fashion legislation, worked with brands as they transitioned forward from animal-derived materials, and is based in Melbourne, Australia. Follow her on Instagram and check out her website.

The post The Human Rights Issues Behind Fashion’s Animal Supply Chains appeared first on Good On You.

By-product vs. co-product

As animal rights issues become more important to consumers, brands are marketing their animal products as “ethically sourced”. Much of the time, such brands state that the leather they use comes as a “by-product of the meat industry”. The assumption that follows this one-liner is that in buying something made from a “by-product”, you’re reducing waste and not financially supporting the industry which it comes from.

The term “by-product” means an “incidental or secondary product made in the manufacture or synthesis of something else”. Plastic, like that which is used in plastic shopping bags, started as a by-product of oil refining. The pineapple leaves that are used to create Piñatex, the leather alternative material, are a by-product of fruit farming. At least, they were: until they became profitable.

At a certain point, a “by-product” becomes a “co-product”. The distinction is that co-products are desirable secondary goods.

The distinction is that co-products are desirable secondary goods. These are sold for the sake of profit. Piñatex is a great example of the power of by- to co-products, as the manufacturing of the material has led to pineapple farmers in rural communities having an additional income stream. This is a clear, and positive example of the way in which co-products can act as a sort of “subsidy” for another industry.

What about leather?

Meat and Livestock Australia defines skins to be made into leather as a co-product of the meat industry, alongside other co-products like animal hearts, organs, and hooves. One particularly profitable co-product is foetal blood from unborn calves, who are removed from pregnant cows at slaughter. This co-product fetches up to $700AUD for 500mL as “Foetal Bovine Serum” used in pharmaceuticals—clearly, a source of great income.

The global leather goods market is valued at $95.4 billion USD, and is set to reach $128.61 billion USD by 2022 if nothing changes now. Animal skins are sold and made into leather goods for profit, not for waste reduction. In fact, the RSPCA states that bobby calves slaughtered in the dairy industry have “valuable hides [used] for leather”. This is a clear example of an animal not profiting one industry (as male calves will never produce milk to sell), becoming profitable for another only once killed.

Whether a cow whose skin is turned into a wallet came from the meat or dairy industry, their skin is sold for a profit. It follows that buying leather is financially supporting the slaughter of animals, just as buying meat or dairy is.

The meat, dairy, and leather industries are intrinsically linked. Don Oshman, the publisher of Hidenet, an online leather and hide market report, stated on Business of Fashion that many “European luxury bag makers use calf skin, and people aren’t eating much veal these days… [so] more calves are being raised specifically for their skin… raised in a pen and never [going] outside so its skin is blemish-free”. This aligns with the RSPCA’s statement that here in Australia, “vealer” calves usually grow up on specialist calf-rearing properties in group sheds, where their skins are worth good money.

In Australia, there are supposedly high “animal welfare standards” relating to the legal standard practices and slaughter of animals. The legal standard practices for cows and bulls raised in the meat and dairy industries, so too the leather industry, are horrific, and you can read about the specifics over at PETA. Whether buying meat or leather, these practices are part of that product’s supply chain in Australia (though it is worth noting that the vast majority of cow skins comes from India, China and Brazil, and labelling laws mean that even leather which says “made in Italy”, for example, is likely just “finished” in Italy, the cow being raised and slaughtered elsewhere). Shockingly, these practices (and worse) are standard the world over.

If consumers were to stop buying veal and calfskin products, the dairy industry would lose profit. If people were to stop buying cow skin leather, the meat industry would lose profit. In the same way, more consumption of these products means more profit and more production—just as it does when supporting (or not) fast fashion, synthetic, natural, or organic fibres, and innovative leather alternative materials. What we do or do not personally choose to support has an impact, and so considering where our “dollar vote” goes is important.

If you are also concerned about the impact of animal vs. other leather options on people and the planet, too, we have covered the hidden costs of leather before.

Learn more about sustainable and ethical materials.

Author bio:

Emma Håkansson is the founding director of Collective Fashion Justice, a non-profit dedicated to the creation of a total ethics fashion system. She is an author and writer, with her written work and research on ethics, sustainability, animal rights and fashion being published across Vogue Business, Earth Island Journal, Fashion Journal, and more. Håkansson is also an award-winning film-maker, with her short film Willow and Claude winning Best Documentary at the Fashion Film Festival in Amsterdam. She has consulted on sustainable fashion legislation, worked with brands as they transitioned forward from animal-derived materials, and is based in Melbourne, Australia. Follow her on Instagram and check out her website.

The post Is Leather a By-Product of the Meat Industry? appeared first on Good On You.