Massages for horses, designer wear for dogs, aroma therapy for cats. Thanks to a growing wellness industry, we’re able to pamper our pets in unprecedented ways. (Antidepressants for rabbits, anyone?). But while we spoil Beauty, Buddy and Tiger, our daily outfit is far from animal friendly. And we’re not just talking about fur here.
Just think about the ubiquitous jeans. Every year, about 50 billion pairs of jeans are made worldwide. In the Chinese town of Xintang, the effects of the large-scale production of denim have become clearly visible. The rivers and lakes in the vicinity of the city, which produces some 260 million jeans every year, have come to be colored the darkest of blues – the result of (illegal) dumping of dyes and chemicals. Needless to say, these toxic chemicals have negative effects on the environment, and are life threatening to fish and other waterlife.
And the fashion industry poses other threats to the world’s aquatic life as well. One clothing item made of polyester can emit more than 1900 fibers per wash – and these all add up to the island of plastic waste that is floating somewhere between Australia and Africa. Experts estimate that every year about 100.000 sea mammals and one million sea birds die as a result of this plastic soup.
Do woolen jumpers offer viable alternatives to polyester tops? That’s doubtful. Traditional wool production in Australia is based on large-scale cattle farming which involves practices such as mulesing and tail cutting. Closer to home, wool is largely a byproduct of the meat industry – with all the hormones and antibiotics that come with it.
What about silk, you wonder? In order to produce silk, caterpillars are cultivated and then boiled alive. Only in the production of so-called peace silk are caterpillars’ pods harvested after the butterflies have outgrown them, which means no animals die in the process. But because peace-silk creates fabrics of lower quality than conventional silk, it’s rather rare in the fashion industry.
When it comes to shoes and accessories, animal lovers better pay attention too. Leather production does not only involve a lot of hazardous chemicals and, in some low wage countries, child labor. For animals, it’s no fun either. Reports by international research organizations have repeatedly shown that in India, which produces leather for amongst others European shoe brands, illegal factories tend to skin cows alive. Producers of fake Uggs have been accused of illegally killing raccoon dogs.
And if this weren’t too much bad news already, there is of course jewelry made of pearls and ivory. Even though the ivory trade in Africa and China has been forbidden since the 1980s, illegal trade has continued. The African elephant is now one of the most endangered species on the continent.
Now let’s not spoil the average World Pet Day with too many depressive thoughts. Because there’s also good news.
Greenpeace has convinced labels such as G-Star, C&A, H&M, Nike and Adidas to put an end to clothing factories dumping hazardous chemicals in rivers and lakes. Because the global clothing industry is based on a large number of subcontractors, it’s unlikely the production process will be cleaned up in a few years. But the ambition is to end pollution in 2020 at its latest.
The fight against the plastic soup has so far focused primarily on reducing the use of bags and packaging. But experts have called upon fashion brands and washing machines producers to develop new methods to prevent plastic fibers from being emitted during consumer washing. Until they do, we’d better avoid buying polyester and fleece cloths and minimize washing the polyesters that we already own.
In the case of wool, consumers can also make a positive difference. Organic wool production is more animal friendly than conventional cattle farming. Sheep (and goats as well) are kept with ample space to graze, fed with organic food and not treated with antibiotics. What’s more, mulesing is not allowed in organic farms. Clothes made from organic (or even recycled) wool are therefore a good choice for animal lovers who just love the look & feel of wool.
Finally, let’s not forget that there are plenty of imitation fabrics that are animal friendly as well as comfortable to wear and stylishly fashionable. Think: imitation silk, faux leather, fake suede and imitation pearls. Linen, rubber and hemp all provide excellent fabrics for shoes. Creative producers are even working towards bioengineered, i.e. labgrown, animalfree leather. And let’s face it: who really needs real fur to keep warm in our rainy climate?