For Immediate Release:
05 October 2024
Contact:
Sanskriti Bansore; SanskritiB@petaindia.org
Anushka Yadav; AYadav@petaindia.org
Delhi – H&M – the second-largest clothing retailer in the world – confirmed to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) US that it has committed to no longer sourcing new down for any of its brands worldwide, a move that will spare ducks and geese the misery of being plucked and a painful, terrifying death. The announcement comes after a campaign that included appeals from PETA US, an appeal from Joker: Folie à Deux star Joaquin Phoenix, demonstrations at H&M stores around the world, shareholder resolutions, and letters from more than 150,000 PETA entity supporters.
In a move towards eradicating the use of all down, no matter the source, H&M is transitioning to only synthetic or post-consumer recycled down for its jackets and home goods by the end of 2025 or sooner.
“H&M’s decision is a life-saving win for ducks and geese and a major first step towards a fabulous animal-free future,” says PETA India Chief Corporate Liaison Ashima Kukreja. “PETA entities are celebrating H&M’s excellent example and urging retailers in India and everywhere to follow its lead and stop bankrolling the cruel down industry.”
In the down industry, highly sensitive, social, and family-orientated ducks and geese are forced to spend their entire lives in filthy sheds or on barren, faeces-filled lots. At slaughterhouses, many of the birds are inadequately stunned before their throats are cut, so they’re often still conscious when they’re dumped into scalding-hot de-feathering tanks.
Prior to its campaign, PETA US collaborated with H&M to create the Co-exist Story, which featured FLWRDWN – a vegan down made from wildflowers. The collection, which was offered globally, included other sustainably sourced materials like VEGEA, a leather made from grape skins, and ECONYL, a regenerated nylon created from waste such as fishing nets and fabric scraps.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear” – points out that Every Animal Is Someone. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
#
The post Big Victory for Birds! H&M Bans All New Duck and Geese Down Following Push From PETA Entities appeared first on PETA India.