A plethora of beauty brands and fashion retailers label whether their products are cruelty-free, and ASOS just joined the animal-friendly movement by announcing that they won’t sell any products containing mohair, cashmere, silk, feathers or down, Teen Vogue reports.
Following PETA’s investigation last month that revealed horrific animal cruelty against goats being used for mohair, ASOS amended its animal welfare policy to say that it will sell products that are more sensitive to animals’ well-being. While this might seem like a valiant effort for everyone who supports PETA and their mission to make the world cruelty-free, ASOS’s decision to transition into a more animal-friendly industry is also an outstanding business move.
ASOS is banning the sale of mohair, silk, cashmere, and feathers, on its site! https://t.co/BjTg6jN85s pic.twitter.com/4yvLxqt6NP
— Sophie (@ImSophieDavies) June 18, 2018
Like mohair, cashmere is hair taken from goats (in this case, cashmere goats), according to PETA. PETA also reports that birds are abused for their feathers to make down, which explains ASOS’s decision to stop using feathers in their clothing. ASOS’s full animal welfare policy also bans animal materials like bone, teeth and even silk, as PETA views silkworms as sentient beings.
Thankfully, ASOS isn’t the only clothing retailer that’s becoming for eco-friendly and animal-friendly. According to the Independent, Topshop, Gap, H&M and Zara moved to stop selling any items that contained mohair in May. This business decision followed the viral PETA video, which showed graphic and abusive treatments of Angora goats in a farming facility in South Africa—where over half of the world’s mohair is sourced from.
The Independent adds that Gap’s official announcement noted that the parent company, as well as all its subsidiary brands, will stop selling mohair products by spring 2019, whereas H&M will phase out mohair-containing products by the end of 2020. The Arcadia Group, which owns Topshop and a slew of other apparel stores, has already stopped ordering mohair products. The BBC reports that Primark is also joining PETA’s stance to reduce animal cruelty in their products.
While these brands pushing for change within the fashion industry might seem sparse, the Independent reports that approximately 140 retailers plan to join PETA’s pledge uphold animal welfare and thus making our fashion more forward-thinking.