Not satisfied with telling consumers how to choose a “vegan car,” the media-hungry animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has now unveiled its “Vegan Clothing Shopping Guide.”
The group’s website claims that, “More than ever, compassionate shoppers are opting to buy the high-quality, animal-free fashions that are currently flooding store shelves.”
The reader is then given a “quick and easy” guide to help identify the cruel materials found in closets across the globe as well as assist the shopper in purchasing animal-free, vegan clothing and accessories.
Their first stop is to explain that leather is the skin of animals such as cows, pigs, goats, kangaroos, ostriches, cats and dogs. (Probably best to throw the family pets in there for shock value.)
So, exactly what is wrong with leather? PETA explains that “most leather comes from cows killed for beef and milk, so it’s a coproduct of the meat and dairy industries.”
They then make the scientifically proven (sarcasm) statement that: “Leather is the worst material for the environment, too, as it not only shares responsibility for all the environmental destruction caused by the meat industry but also pollutes the Earth with the toxins used in the tanning process.”
Next up is wool, shearling, cashmere and angora. PETA repeats their factually incorrect statement about sheep growing just enough wool to keep warm and the wool industry abuse of the animals to unnecessarily shear the wool from the sheep. They also claim that wool harms the environment by damaging land, polluting water and contributing to climate change. Climate change?
The wacky group then takes on fur. After explaining that fur is “literally the animal’s coat still attached to his or her skin,” they again include the family pet dog as a contributor to the fashion industry.
Finally, PETA explains why silk and down are big “no-nos.” They opine that “to obtain silk, distributors boil worms alive inside their cocoons. Anyone who has ever seen worms startle when their dark homes are uncovered must acknowledge that these animals are sensate – that they produce endorphins and have a physical response to pain.”
They claim that the silk industry is the second worst environmental offender behind leather. Down, they claim, is stolen from geese and ducks, painfully ripped from their bodies.
Consumers are then directed to a variety of brands and materials that meet the approval of the animal rights group. They are pointed towards stores and designers that use PETA-approved vegan leather, cruelty free sweaters, faux fur and milkweed-pod silk.
Interestingly, many of the non-natural materials promoted by the group are actually petroleum-based products. Now, there’s a conundrum.
