After a number of big victories last year in their fight against the fashion industry’s use of fur, PETA is now taking on wool.
As reported by Fashionista, the long-standing – and ever controversial – animal rights organization claims that “though farming wool does not require killing animals in the same way that farming fur does… there is no humane way to shear sheep for wool.”
It’s a lofty goal, considering that wool is wool, but so far PETA has already “launched campaigns against retailers like Forever21 for wool sales,” released “11 exposés” on the harms of the shearing process and (this is real) “asked a British village to change its name from ‘Wool’ to ‘Vegan Wool.’”
(Requesting that a village make a name change addresses the problem in the same way that aloe vera addresses a broken leg, but why be practical when you can not be.)
All jokes aside, some of PETA’s work on the matter has been important, particularly in calling out “companies that claim their materials are responsibly and ethically sourced,” when in fact their wool is anything but.
That said, prior to PETA’s taking on the cause, some great work had already been done in regards to cruelty-free (or cruelty-limiting) wool production, including government legislation. Also, wool is far less environmentally caustic than pretty much all synthetics.
Regardless, according to Fashionista, whether or not PETA is triumphant in their latest campaign, will ultimately depend upon shoppers. “If there’s anything to take away from the fur fight, it’s that, in the end, it will be consumers who decide how to reward companies with their purchases when it comes to the use of wool.”
You can read more about it at Fashionista.
