Research: one in three fashion brands has no action plan against ‘mulesing’
Two-thirds of international fashion brands provide insufficient transparency on how they handle live lamb cutting (LLC), also known as ‘mulesing’. This is a painful procedure where folds of skin are cut from around a lamb's hindquarters. The findings come from a new report by the animal welfare organisation Four Paws, which surveyed more than 100 brands across eleven countries.
The report is based on field research, sometimes undercover, in stores and online analyses of 102 brands in eleven countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, the UK and the US. Four Paws examined policies; labels; certification; and publicly available information on the origin of the wool.
Although the majority (84 percent) of the brands surveyed speak out against the cruel mutilation of lambs (mulesing), a third lack a clear approach to combatting the practice. This could be achieved, for example, through a mulesing-free certificate such as the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS).
Varying commitment from brands
Michael Kors ranks last on the list with zero points, due to a lack of transparency and an unwillingness to cooperate with the research. The most transparent brands include outdoor brands Patagonia (US), Ortovox (Germany) and Arc'teryx (Canada), as well as COS (Sweden) and German retailer Tchibo.
According to Four Paws, a quarter of the brands showed concrete improvements after being contacted by the organisation. Brands such as H&M, Jack Wolfskin and Marc O’Polo now exclusively use certified, mulesing-free wool. Other brands, including Barbour, Coop and Peek & Cloppenburg Düsseldorf, indicated they will achieve this before 2030.
Of the brands that only use certified, mulesing-free wool (19 percent), only half state this on their products. This is a sign that transparency is not high on the priority list of the surveyed brands. Nine of these brands, including Tom Tailor and BRAX, have since added information about mulesing to their labels.
Australian wool under scrutiny
Mulesing is still widespread, particularly in Australia, the world's largest wool producer. The procedure was developed to prevent the fatal infection flystrike in merino sheep. However, it has been controversial for years due to the severe animal suffering it causes.
Four Paws is calling on fashion brands, and the Australian wool industry in particular, to switch to certified, mulesing-free wool. It also urges them to be more transparent with consumers about animal welfare in the production of wool fashion.
The report adds a third dimension to the discussions held this month at international wool conferences in France and China. Those programmes focused on environmental friendliness; the interests of shepherds and production organisations; and working conditions. Wool is no exception. Animal welfare often lags behind in the sustainability discussion within the fashion industry.
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