Royal Baby Receives Adorable Vegan Gift
As Meghan and Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrate the birth of their first child, PETA UK has sent the newborn a warm and cosy welcome: a wool-free cardigan made of cotton and bamboo from Bramble Crafts.
A wool-free cardigan is as soft and warm for a baby as it is kind to sheep. We hope this gift for Meghan and Harry’s little one will inspire parents around the world to dress their own tots in compassionate, animal-friendly style.
Wool Production Is Cruel
Since 2014, PETA and its international affiliates have released 11 exposés of 99 wool facilities on four continents and systemic abuse was encountered in every one. The most recent exposés – recorded on sheep farms in Australia, the world’s largest exporter of wool – reveal that workers beat petrified sheep, mutilated them, and slit the throats of fully conscious animals. One sheep kicked for nearly a minute after the manager began cutting her throat, and he said that some kick for a “bloody couple of minutes”.
It’s Terrible for the Planet
The wool industry also wreaks havoc on the environment: manure generated by farmed animals has significantly contributed to the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases, large-scale grazing has led to vegetation change and soil erosion, and faecal matter and sheep “dip” (a toxic chemical used to rid sheep of parasites) pollute local waterways. The “Pulse of the Fashion Industry” report ranks wool fifth on its list of materials that have the highest cradle-to-gate environmental impact per kilogram. Find out more about the environmental damage caused by wool production here.
There Are Alternatives
Fortunately, many animal- and Earth-friendly vegan alternatives to wool are available today – from hemp and coconut fibres treated with enzymes extracted from the oyster mushroom to organic cotton, bamboo, and even banana bark. To find brands that sell fashion-forward wool alternatives, take a look at our list of companies using the “PETA-Approved Vegan” logo.
What You Can Do for Sheep
When animals are viewed as a collection of body parts and their fear and pain are ignored, we must raise our voices and use our consumer clout to help stop the abuse.
Ask boohoo to stand by its compassionate initial decision to become the first global fashion brand to ban wool:
