Four Paws said that before commencing the review of the 111 brands sampled for its report in 2021, it notified each company of their inclusion in the report.
“We anticipated this would provide brands sufficient notice of our initiative and expedite any plans they had to communicate recent developments or new commitments shaping their progress on sustainability and social responsibility.”
The report said for most of the brands that made the bottom of its list in 2021, it found that these brands typically do not prohibit the use of wild animals for textiles. They also do not have formal animal welfare policies and do not have time-bound commitments to source from certified supply chains.
The report said that despite the rapidly growing demand for more animal-friendly fashion, less than a third of fashion brands source wool or down certified by any animal welfare standard, and only just over half have an animal welfare policy at all.
The report said further analysis of the performance of the 17 “best” and “better” brands showed that real progress has come from them reducing or limiting the use of animal-derived materials, and avoiding the use of animal-derived materials which are not certified to robust animal welfare standards.
The report said that on the positive side, Hermès and the LVMH brands Dior, Louis Vuitton and Fendi have formal animal welfare policies and time-bound commitments to source certified wool and/or down.
“However, the factor with the most adverse affect on their scores, and the scores of all the brands above, is the use of one or more of the animal materials which are deemed by Four Paws as unacceptable, such as fur, exotic skins and angora.”
TimesLIVE
Four Paws rates best and worst fashion brands for animal welfare
Journalist
Image: 123RF/EcoSnap
Stella McCartney is one of the best luxury fashion brands which demonstrate leadership for animal welfare in fashion.
This is according to the 2021 Animal Welfare in Fashion report released by animal welfare organisation Four Paws which partnered brand rating platform Good On You to rate 111 international brands on their progress in animal welfare.
According to the report, “best” brands are those with the top 10% of scores and rated “good” by Good On You for animal welfare.
“Better brands” are those making significant progress on animal welfare in fashion. They include retail chain KiK Clothing, and outdoor brands Kathmandu and North Face.
“Worst” brands are those with the lowest 10% of scores from the total sample of brands researched in 2021.
“Our report shows that despite high community expectations for animal welfare, most fashion brands still know extraordinarily little of the conditions endured by animals within their supply chains. Brands talk the talk about caring for animals but dig a little deeper and you’ll often find weak or patchy animal welfare policies or none at all,” said director of Four Paws in SA, Fiona Miles.
Shot in the arm for Eastern Cape wool, angora producers
Four Paws said that before commencing the review of the 111 brands sampled for its report in 2021, it notified each company of their inclusion in the report.
“We anticipated this would provide brands sufficient notice of our initiative and expedite any plans they had to communicate recent developments or new commitments shaping their progress on sustainability and social responsibility.”
The report said for most of the brands that made the bottom of its list in 2021, it found that these brands typically do not prohibit the use of wild animals for textiles. They also do not have formal animal welfare policies and do not have time-bound commitments to source from certified supply chains.
The report said that despite the rapidly growing demand for more animal-friendly fashion, less than a third of fashion brands source wool or down certified by any animal welfare standard, and only just over half have an animal welfare policy at all.
The report said further analysis of the performance of the 17 “best” and “better” brands showed that real progress has come from them reducing or limiting the use of animal-derived materials, and avoiding the use of animal-derived materials which are not certified to robust animal welfare standards.
The report said that on the positive side, Hermès and the LVMH brands Dior, Louis Vuitton and Fendi have formal animal welfare policies and time-bound commitments to source certified wool and/or down.
“However, the factor with the most adverse affect on their scores, and the scores of all the brands above, is the use of one or more of the animal materials which are deemed by Four Paws as unacceptable, such as fur, exotic skins and angora.”
TimesLIVE
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