Fashion Lovers Are Animal Friendly

09 April 2008

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A staggering 57% of us consider whether something is animal friendly before we buy it according to a new survey.

This is up from the 48% it was a year ago. Human rights (55%) and protecting the environment (55%) are also considered important issues reveals the survey by the RSPCA.

This news comes hot on the heels of the RSPCA’s anti-fur investigation, 100% Fake, which found two high street chains were selling unlabelled or mislabelled fur.2

David Bowles, RSPCA Head of External Affairs, says: “The fur industry unnecessarily kills 55 million animals a year. Designers and retailers should take note of the growing consumer demand for cruelty-free products and stop using or selling fur. When selling leather or skins retailers should ensure that they are ethically sourced, as a by-product of the meat industry, and labelled clearly so consumers can make their own choices.

“By asking the right questions of their suppliers, retailers can do a great deal to improve animal welfare, while still stocking products which appeal to their customers."

Fashion forward retailers who are already embracing the demand for animal friendly products are being urged to enter this year’s RSPCA Good Business Awards, which recognise ethical business approaches to animal welfare in the fashion, cosmetics and food industries. This follows evidence that consumers are increasingly demanding higher standards in the welfare of the products they buy.

One of the judges3, designer Wayne Hemingway, said: “The fashion industry is still a long way behind the food and cosmetics industries in terms of animal welfare. We would like to see more fashion retailers stand up and respond to the growing consumer concern.

“The awards are about celebrating improvement, whether that is the implementation of an animal welfare policy, shunning fur, or reviewing how leather is sourced. Every step counts. As well as the overall winner, we will be presenting an innovation award so every improvement in animal welfare will be taken into consideration,” said Wayne.

"Marks & Spencer and Wildlife Works, both Good Business Award winners last year, have shown designers and the high street the way forward and we would love to see more retailers follow suit and enter this year”.

As a direct result of success at last year’s awards, Wildlife Works has collaborated with the RSPCA to produce a stunning dress for its Autumn/Winter ’08 collection. This was cited by the media as one of the stand out pieces from the collection that hit the catwalk at London Fashion Week in February 2008. When it goes on sale in July, 40% of the proceeds will go to the RSPCA.

All entries will be judged by an independent panel of industry experts and winners will be given the RSPCA Good Business Awards logo to use on relevant products and in promotions for an entire year, so customers can recognise their achievements. Winners and runners-up will be promoted on the RSPCA website and achievements will be detailed in an ethical consumer guide.

Entry questionnaires can be downloaded from www.rspcagoodbusinessawards.com or by contacting the RSPCA Good Business Awards team on 0870 754 0488 or awards@rspca.org.uk. The entry deadline is Friday 27 June 2008.

The RSPCA Good Business Awards gala ceremony will be held at the Natural History Museum, London on Thursday 9 October 2008.

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