Campaign to Ban Sale of Real Fur in England
Thanks to a campaign by Compassion in World Farming, the making of real fur is now banned in England on ethical grounds. But there is still no ban on its sale. Although not really fashionable, many London stores (including Harrods) continue to sell it, often to visitors rather than London residents.
There is also a campaign to have the Ministry of Defence switch to faux fur, to replace real bearskins used for guards at Buckingham Palace.
Sign the petition at Fur Free Britain to ban the sale of fur, an industry where animals spend their lives in cramped cages, and causes wild-trapped animals to suffer in snares or steel-jaw traps.
Ruth Jones (a Welsh Labour MP) has recently tabled a motion to ban the sale and import of fur. It’s presently going through Parliament. Write to your MP to urge support.
The appalling conditions on fur farms are perfect for viruses to mutate and spread (COVID-19 was identified on nearly 500 fur farms during the pandemic, and led governments in Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands to ban the practice.
As long as we allow the import of fur products into Britain, we are complicit both with the suffering of those animals, and the risks that come with it. I say it’s time we stop exposing the country to this potential danger, all for a bit of fashion. Ruth Jones MP
Always check labels, as DNA tests on some ‘faux fur trim’ and novelty ornaments in gift shops have been found to be from real fur.
Although previously it was thought cutting up fur coats to use for orphaned animals was a good idea, new advice is not to do this, as the fur is difficult to clean and could rot.
So just recycle old fur coats at textile banks. Fur coats are not good for homeless people, as they are heavy (especially when wet) to drag around, modern sleeping tents for homeless people are better.
Sign up as a Fur Free Retailer
Small shops can sign up to Fur Free Retailer, and you’ll receive a fox logo to display in your window, Active in 24 countries, there are no fees, just confirm (in writing) your credentials.
Boycott stores that sell real fur (like Harrods). This London shop even has a dress code, refusing to let in people who not appropriately dressed? So it’s okay to wear real fur, but not a pair of jeans?
Leona Lewis famously turned down a lot of money to turn on the store’s Christmas lights, due to its policy on selling real fur.
New Biodegradable Faux Fur Brands
The future of faux fur lies in new eco-friendly textiles. There are now brands that are made from biodegradable alternatives to conventional faux fur coats.
Any coat has synthetic lining, so would be laundered in a microfiber filter, to stop microplastics leaching from machines into the sea. But ‘fur coats’ are dry-cleaned, so use an eco-friendly dry cleaner, that uses steam over PERC chemicals.
- Bio-fluff is an eco-friendly alternative to fur that has just received over $2 million in seed funding to help produce it for the mass market. One designer already using it is Stella McCartney, who has never used fur in her designs.
- EcoPel is a luxury faux fur made from recycled polyester, which results in 30% less energy production, and 63% less greenhouse gas emissions. The Ministry of Defence has been offered this for free, to replace bearskins at Buckingham Palace, but so far has not taken up the offer, despite it being identical in water run-off and quality.
- Gacha is a sustainable fur that is commercially compostable in 180 days (this means that brands can take back end-of-life garments to industrially compost in proper facilities.
Faux Fur Saves Wild Cats in Africa
Panthera (an international animal welfare charity that helps to remove big cats caught in snares) has been instrumental in protecting leopards from being killed, for traditional dress in South Africa.
10 years ago, 800 of the country’s 5000 leopards were being killed for coats used in ceremonial regalia, although the tribes revere this beautiful species.
So they worked with graphic designers to replicate the costumes with Heritage Furs, which the communities adore, and also protect the spotted big cats.
