Fur industry says “it’s time to call out the fake news about fake fur”
The international fur industry is launching a global campaign to highlight the colossal environmental damage caused by plastic based fake fur.
Fake fur is often pushed by animal activist groups as the ethical alternative to natural fur.
But in a hard-hitting campaign across all continents, the fur trade says, “It’s time to call out the fake news about fake fur”.
The industry has produced a video which shows the destructive nature of fake fur and is being circulated worldwide, in China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Russia, the USA and throughout Europe.
The campaign is being spearheaded by the International Fur Federation (IFF) with the clear aim to demonstrate that natural fur is the “responsible choice”.
Its central message is to demonstrate how:
- Natural fur is eco-friendly at every stage of production
- Natural fur lasts for decades
- Natural fur degrades much faster than fake fur
- Fur-farmed animals eat waste bio-materials
- Fur farm waste is turned into bio-fuels and fertilisers
- Wild fur is a useful aid to wildlife management
- Natural fur is sustainable – either through farming or hunting overabundant species
And it takes aim at fake fur’s deadly environmental credentials, showing how:
- Fake fur is produced in factories from chemicals derived from fossil fuels
- Fake fur is made from nylon and polyester – the main culprits for the emission of microfibers
- These are types of plastic which take decades to biodegrade and are consumed by marine life
- Fake fur then enters the food chain
Mark Oaten, IFF CEO, said: “Natural fur is the only responsible choice when it comes to choosing between fake fur and natural fur.
“The consumer has been fed a constant diet of fake news when it comes to fake fur.
“It is a grossly irresponsible product which ends up polluting the earth and its waterways for generations. It poisons the soil and kills wildlife.
“Scientists and politicians are united that plastic should be eliminated as far as possible from the retail chain.
“Natural fur is the only sustainable alternative. It is natural, lasts decades and breaks down much faster if it ends up in land-fill.
“Many top designers continue to use the natural material, and the IFF is working with the most respected fashion houses in the world to develop boundary-pushing techniques to create haute couture and every day fashion.
“It also ensures the fur industry worldwide produces the most sustainable, ethically-sourced pelts possible.
“If sustainability is the name of the game, the sale of wild fur both provides vital income for remote indigenous communities and helps toward managing their local environments.
“In addition, farmed fur animals eat food prepared from the waste products of the meat, fish and dairy processing industries – a much more sustainable and ethical alternative to dumping this excess.
“Waste from fur farms can produce other environmental benefits too. These include the production of biofuel to reduce the demand for fossil fuels and the production of agricultural fertilisers to replace high-energy manufactured ones.
“Fur farming also has some of the most stringent controls for animal welfare found in any industry worldwide.”