Giant Billboards in Sydney Urge Shoppers to ‘Wear Vegan’ This Winter
Have you been looking for a sign that it’s time to stop buying animal-derived materials? Here are three big ones!
We’ve placed billboards around Sydney – in Epping, Gymea, and Leichhardt – featuring gentle lambs and sheep in a field and the words “We’re Individuals. We’re Not Jumpers. Wear Something Vegan”.
The wool trade is on the way out. Consumers don’t want to contribute to an industry that hacks off the backsides of lambs, perpetuates violence towards animals in its shearing sheds, and sends animals to slaughter as soon as they’re no longer considered useful.
A recent undercover investigation into the Australian wool industry revealed that workers punched frightened sheep, stood on their heads and necks, and beat them in the face with heavy electric clippers. PETA’s international affiliates have undertaken 13 investigations into the global wool trade since 2014 – the first of which resulted in the world’s first-ever cruelty-to-animals convictions of sheep shearers, who were employed here in Australia.
As retailers faced increasing pressure to drop wool, in 2016, the industry created the meaningless Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), which a handful of companies tout in an attempt to defend their wool sales. Yet PETA and our affiliates have continued to expose the same cruelty to sheep in shearing sheds since the “standard” was created – RWS documents were even displayed on a wall in one of the shearing sheds that appeared in the latest exposé.
VIDEO: See How Australian Wool is Produced
There’s nothing natural or environmentally friendly about wool production, despite what sheep farmers would have you think. Just like farming cows, raising sheep generates huge quantities of the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change, and according to the “Pulse of the Fashion Industry” report, wool is one of the five most environmentally damaging materials.
Sheep are curious individuals who protect their friends and wag their tails (if they haven’t been cut off by farmers) when they’re happy, just like dogs. They’re not jumpers, scarves, gloves, or beanies. Their lives should be their own, free from human interference and exploitation.
Vegan fabrics are the future. They’re versatile and more sustainable, and they don’t involve cruelty to animals. Check out the many brands using the “PETA-Approved Vegan” logo.
We’re sure shoppers who see these billboards will think twice about buying that woollen jumper – and we’re also urging retailers to remove wool from their collections. Join us in calling on Forever 21 to ditch wool now:
