So you love animals and want to live your life without compromising theirs? You may already be a vegan/vegetarian, but living an animal-friendly lifestyle goes far beyond what we eat or don’t eat—we can choose cruelty-free in so many more aspects of our daily lives.
Clothes
The case against the fur trade: Despite several hard-hitting, graphic campaigns by organizations like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), fur garments continue to be marketed and sold. The desire for exclusivity overshadows the cruel facts of the fur trade: Animals used for fur are killed by gas, trapping, strangulation, anal and vaginal electrocution. If contained on a fur farm, these animals live miserable lives in appalling conditions before being executed solely for human vanity. Garments are also often mislabeled to hide the true source of the fur, which could easily come from dogs, cats, hamsters, or even rats – that fancy coat doesn’t look so hot now, huh?
Unless a garment is specifically labeled as fake or counterfeit, assume it is obtained at the expense of animal life and do not purchase it. By buying items with fur trim (toys, gloves, clothing) you are supporting the fur industry. Some people delude themselves into thinking that wearing fur trim is “not as bad” as a full fur coat. But it’s not like that. Even a small amount of fur causes suffering and death to animals.
The case against the leather industry: Leather is the processed skin of animals from factory farms. Surprisingly, they are often skinned alive and while conscious. The tanning and manufacturing process to create leather products is the most economically important co-product of the highly lucrative meat industry, with cowhide worth around 10% of its total value, making it the most profitable part of her body. Ultra-soft calfskin, often called velvet leather, comes from extremely young animals bred for their hides, and its high value means meat is actually the by-product in this case. They are slaughtered from 20 weeks of age.
Refrain from wearing leather and you will feel good in your own skin! Aside from man-made materials like microfiber, synthetic leather, artificial leather, PU leather, or PVC, if you can’t compromise on quality, look to new innovative alternatives like vegan leathers, made from plant-based materials. .
Sheep wool and felt: Much of the world’s wool comes from sheep raised in Australia and New Zealand. Wool is not a simple process of gently shearing sheep that have too much wool and then turning it into a garment. Sheep are bred to have too much wool, bred by the millions, treated roughly, and finally slaughtered.
Sheep are castrated and mutilated without anesthesia or pain relievers and can be cut or injured in the shearing process. Because they are bred to have an abnormal amount of wool, many sheep suffer from fly infestations, skin sores, and wool parasites. Tragically, when they no longer produce wool, it is piled into multi-tiered ships and shipped all over the world to countries where animal welfare standards do not exist. Many do not even survive the journey. If they do, they are dragged off boats, loaded onto trucks, dragged by the ears and legs to unregulated slaughterhouses, where their throats are slit, often while fully conscious.
Angora: The Angora comes from female rabbits that live isolated in tiny, narrow cages. Unable to move and exercise, these rabbits develop painful sores and deformities. Male Angora rabbits do not produce adequate wool, so most Angora males are euthanized at birth.
Cashmere: Cashmere goats are raised in dirty, crowded stables and sheared just when they need their woolen coats most, in the winter. These goats are then more susceptible to disease from being exposed to cold.
Mohair: Goats bred for their mohair wool are sheared when they have their winter coat on. If left bare, goats develop respiratory diseases and are susceptible to parasites. Weakened, many goats often die after being sheared. When their wool is no longer thick, they are slaughtered. Wool is simply not necessary; Choose garments made with lighter, colorfast materials such as nylon, acrylic, polyester fleece, cotton flannel, or faux shearling.
Below: Down is the very soft inside of the breast feathers of geese and ducks that keeps the birds and their eggs warm. Down is plucked from birds slaughtered for food or from live birds that are forcibly restrained. These animals can be live plucked three to five times during their short and miserable lives confined to large warehouses. After a horrendous life of feather removal, these ducks and geese are sent to slaughter.
Down feathers are commonly found in pillows, jackets, vests, coats, and comforters. The quilts are filled with the feathers of 30 to 40 birds. You can sleep comfortably knowing that no duck or goose suffered and died by choosing products made from hypoallergenic synthetic down, polyester fill, or some high-tech fabrics. They are often machine washable and don’t require dry cleaning like down.
Silk: When silkworms pupate, they live inside a cocoon made of fine threads that revolve around themselves. Instead of being able to mature into a moth, their lives are cut short while still inside their cocoon. The cocoons are immersed in boiling water until the pupa dies to obtain continuous threads of silk. To make 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of silk thread, 1,500 pupae are killed. Millions of silkworms are boiled alive to make silk products like shirts, dresses, and ties.
As you can see, clothing made from animals is a scary business, but luckily it’s getting easier to be more compassionate and responsible. A Google search with the keywords cruelty-free, vegan, leather-free, etc. it will steer you towards green retailers/designers.
Animal-friendly cosmetics and household products
Many manufacturers of cosmetics, personal care and household products still carry out painful tests on animals despite the fact that NO LAW REQUIRES THEM TO DO SO. Rabbits and other animals are being blinded by having substances placed in their eyes in the infamous Draize test and even more animals are being poisoned by being force-fed toxic substances in the LD50 test. Humane non-animal testing methods exist and are currently being used by hundreds of companies. As a consumer, you should use your purchasing power to pressure companies to switch to non-animal testing methods. Buy only “cruelty free” products!
Get in the habit of reading labels. A quick twist of the bottle and attention to the printing on the bottom will tell you if the company does not test on animals or use ingredients of animal origin. Many manufacturers will put “Not tested on animals” and “No animal ingredients” on their product labels. Don’t put cruelty on your shopping list! Check which companies are still testing and which companies are not testing.
So how cruelty free is your lifestyle? Remember that even small changes help alter the big picture and it would be amazing to think that future generations will put an end to the use of animals for food or clothing. And entertainment… that’s another story.