Cows, sheep, dogs, crocodiles, alligators, and other animals did not exist to be killed and clothed by humans. Every individual in the animal has the same value of their own life as we humans and has a strong desire to survive. Cows, sheep, dogs, crocodiles, alligators, and other animals did not exist to be killed and clothed by humans. Every individual in the animal has the same value of their own life as we humans and has a strong desire to survive.
But the leather, reptile leather, wool and silk industries torture and kill these animals and take their hair and skin in order to make clothes, shoes and accessories. With facts and choices in front of you, it's hard to believe that anyone would want to be an accomplice in animal cruelty in the name of fashion. Thankfully, today's fashion industry is full of chic and animal-friendly materials, and there's no need to hurt animals for the sake of dressing up.
Wool? I don't want it!
Sheep are complex and intelligent animals that show emotions, exhibit different personalities, and experience fear when separated from their companions. A researcher in London found that sheep were able to recognize the faces of at least 50 sheep and remember 50 different pictures for two years.
Knowing this, would you still want to wear a brutally obtained wool in cold weather? What's more, there are so many stylish, comfortable and ethical materials on the market today.
Investigations on multiple farms in the United States and Australia have revealed serious maltreatment of sheep. Shavers were filmed violently beating frightened sheep, trampling their heads and necks, throwing them around, shaving them with sharp metal razors, and even hitting their heads with electric shears and hammers. These attacks often bleed the sheep's eyes, mouth, and nose. Some sheep died during the abuse, including one whose neck was repeatedly twisted and died. It is important to know that 25% of the world's wool comes from Australia.
Shaved workers are often paid by the amount rather than on time, which encourages them to speed up their work without regard for the welfare of the sheep, sometimes leaving severe cuts on the sheep. It has been observed that the workers used needles and threads to close the open wounds left by their shaving without giving any painkillers to the sheep.
Sheep are deprived of water and food before shaving so that they are weak and unable to resist. However, sheep are hunted animals and are naturally afraid of being pushed to the ground, so they often struggle in fear during the shaving process. Workers responded by striking the sheep's body and head against the hardwood floor. PETA US investigators never saw a veterinarian at the scene. What happens to the injured sheep who are seen as "losing money"? They may be shot to death or slaughtered in front of other sheep. Every year, Australia exports millions of sheep to Asia, the Middle East or North Africa for slaughter, including sheep that can no longer produce wool. Some of them were stuffed onto multi-decked cargo ships, some of them could not survive the long journey, and they survived, only to have their throats slashed while they were conscious.
Leather: Whose skin are you wearing?
Every year, the global leather industry kills more than a billion animals and peels them off to make tanning for sale. Many of these animals are victims of factory farms, endured extremely crowded conditions throughout their lives, branded, dehorned, castrated, deprived of food and drink without painkillers, and finally transported to slaughter (if not dead during transport). Cattle are one of these animals.
Do you know? Cows have as diverse personalities as dogs, cats, and people, some are bold, some are domineering, some are friendly, and some are shy. Social relationships are very important for cattle, and they also develop camaraderie or mourn the loss of a loved one.
Animal leather is the most valuable co-product in the multi-billion dollar meat industry. When cows on dairy farms can no longer produce milk, they are sent to slaughter. Their calves are often brutally imprisoned in stables so cramped that they can't turn around, bred as veal, and their skins are made into high-grade calf hides. Drinking milk and eating beef is also supporting the leather industry.
Dog skin? You heard it right. A PETA investigation into the domestic leather industry revealed that dogs were brutally killed to make leather gloves, belts, leather jacket necklines and other products. Most of the world's leather imports come from China. Of course, no product is labeled "dog skin", so unsuspecting consumers around the world don't know whose skin they're wearing when they shop. PETA investigators recorded workers clamping the dogs' necks with metal tongs and hitting them on the head with wooden sticks. Some of the dogs were knocked unconscious, while others were convulsing and wailing in pain. Some were panting desperately as their throats were slit, and the workers then peeled their skins off. Waiting for the dog to be slaughtered, while being beaten, crying loudly.
What you may not know is that leather is harmful to both the human body and the environment. From animal skin to processed leather, many dangerous chemicals are used: formaldehyde, coal tar derivatives, mineral salts, and a variety of oils, dyes, and polishes, some of which come from cyanide. Studies have shown that even finished leather products contain high levels of hexavalent chromium – an allergen that can cause skin diseases such as eczema, especially when some leather products come into direct contact with human skin.
In fact, most leather goods are dyed with chromium, which is considered toxic. Several studies have shown that sinus cancer and lung cancer are related to the chromium used in the tanning process. High concentrations of these toxic substances are found in the groundwater near the tannery, which is very harmful to the human body. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that residents near a tannery in Kentucky are five times more likely to develop leukemia than the national average. In Bangladesh, due to exposure to chemicals, coupled with accidents while operating equipment, the life expectancy of tannery workers does not exceed 50 years. Many of these workers are children.
Wearing reptile skin is not beautiful at all
Seemingly harmless accessories actually cause reptiles to suffer for the rest of their lives before being brutally killed. An investigation at an alligator farm in Texas revealed that alligators were imprisoned in dark, damp sheds with no sunlight, fresh air, clean water, or any medical care. The farm supplies Hermès' tanneries in France. Investigators have documented workers rudely slicing open the necks of certain alligators in an attempt to mash their brains with metal rods. Some animals are still conscious, twisting and struggling in agony on bloodletting racks or in ice buckets minutes after workers try to kill them. When they were one year old, they were shot with stun bolts.
At a farm in Zimbabwe, thousands of Nile crocodiles are imprisoned in a pond from birth to death. They are completely incapable of natural behaviors such as digging tunnels, playing, protecting babies, hunting with tools, etc. They were slaughtered when they were about three years old. Many of the skin on the abdomen was sent to a Hermès-owned tannery and turned into "luxuries" such as Birkin bags, asking for at least 320,000 yuan. To make a handbag, you need two to three crocodiles. After seeing the revelations of PETA's unannounced visit, British model and singer Jane Birkin — the inspiration behind the famous Birkin bag — publicly asked Hermès to find a new name for her bag.
These animals are not machines without feelings. Crocodiles, for example, can play! An American psychology professor spent 3,000 hours observing crocodiles. His published research shows that crocodiles surf for fun, young crocodiles repeat slides, and young crocodiles lie on the backs of their big brothers and sisters.
Silk: a cruel product for centuries
For the past 5,000 years, because of our need for silk, we have been killing silkworms and depriving them of their cocoons. They used to fly freely in nature and feast on mulberry trees. Without human intervention, silkworms go through four stages of metamorphosis: egg, larva (silkworm), pupa, pupate into moths, just like all other moths.
However, since silk comes from larval cocoons, most farmed silkworms do not survive to adulthood. They are boiled or poisoned alive in silkworm cocoons. A silkworm cocoon is made of a single strand of silk and has a total length of 914 meters. To make a pound of silk, 3,000 silkworms are needed – a staggering number of victims.
It is not only the fashion industry that harms silkworms on a large scale, but also the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical industry likes to use silkworms because they are cheap, easy to breed and can be genetically modified to have human collagen in their silk. Silkworms are genetically transplanted and spit out fluorescent-colored silk. Spiders are also used in the medical and military communities to test the strength and elasticity of spider silk.
What you can do
More and more people are rejecting wool, leather, reptile leather and silk goods, so almost everywhere you shop, you can find animal-free options. Vegan and artificial reptile leathers are not only versatile and trendy, but also used by top designers like Stella McCartney, who uses only the latest and animal-friendly materials to create the runways and red carpets.
Sneaker designers reject leather in favor of porous, breathable materials such as chlorenol (Avia calls it "Hydrolite" and Nike calls it "Durabuck"), which provides support, stretches like leather around the foot, and can be washed in a washing machine.
Saying no to wool is simple! Choose cotton, lint, polyester, synthetic wool, which people with wool allergies have been doing for years. A relatively new alternative to wool is called Tencel, which is breathable, endurable and biodegradable. Polartec Wind Pro fleece is mainly made from recycled plastic soda bottles, has a high density, provides four times the wind resistance of wool, and also has a surface water repellent effect. For silk alternatives, try nylon, polyester, milkweed, cotton and rayon.
This article was first published in iPet magazine with permission from PETA