PETA AU Global Issue 3

PETA’s Vegan Leather Campaign Bears Fruit Apple Skins, Not Animal Skins

COWS SAVING IN STYLE

Cow: © iStock.com/esvetleishaya • Good Guys shoes: © Good Guys • Modern Picnic tote: © Modern Picnic • von Holzhausen wallet: © von Holzhausen • 02 Monde shoes: © 02 Monde

Model: © Courtesy of Stella McCartney • Cactus leather bags: © Desserto ® • Green heels: © H&M • Polestar car: © Polestar • Adidas Stan Smith sneaker: © Courtesy of Adidas • Downed cow: © PETA/Karremann

Mooove over, leather! Saving animals’ skins looks as great as it feels with chic vegan fashions from PETA Business Friends at PETAMall.com .

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Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather gives classic derby shoes a

compassionate update with durable microfiber vegan suede.

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I t sounds like a wonderful treat, and it is: Desserto is an eco- and cow-friendly “PETA Approved Vegan” leather made fromprickly pear cactus, and it impressed H&M so much that the international retail giant is featuring it in a new collection showcasing sustainable materials. Plant leather like Desserto is one of today’s hottest trends, thanks in no small part to the groundwork laid by PETA through grassroots campaigns; eye-opening investigations showing gentle animals – from cows in North America to dogs in China – being branded on the face, electroshocked, or beaten to death; and provocative protests in which celebrities are “skinned alive” and “bulls” “stampede” at auto shows. PETA and its international affiliates have been working behind the scenes with clothing and car companies like Gap, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and more – buying shares and filing shareholder resolutions, meeting with executives, informing store buyers about the growing demand for vegan products, and persuading them to switch to faux leather and other vegan materials for the sake of animals, the Earth, and their bottom line. Prepare to Be Wowed Consumers can now take their pick of vegan leather clothing and accessories made from mulberry and teak leaves to apple skins and pineapple fiber. Longtime PETA friend Stella McCartney has created trendy bags, bustiers, and balloon-leg trousers out of mushrooms. Industry leaders like PUMA, Adidas, BOSS, and

StellaMcCartney created the world’s first garments – this bustier top and trousers – made from lab-grownMylo mushroom leather (StellaMcCartney.com). Adidas usedMylo to

Birkenstock offer vegan shoe lines, and H&M is also teaming up with London-based company Good News to produce a new sneaker line crafted from banana and grape fibers. PETA collaborated with Coalition LA on a vegan leather jacket, New York’s M4D3 on faux leather espadrilles, and French fashion retailer The Kooples on an exclusive vegan leather clutch – and we’ve worked with other companies around the world, including Australia’s Princess Polly and Germany’s Buffalo Boots to certify their products as “PETA-Approved Vegan” as well. Evenmore choices are sprouting up: An Oxford University student is earning rave reviews for his versatile vegan leather that’s rooted in Colombia’s fique plant. Start Your Engines You absolutely cannot be a leather-wearing environmentalist: That’s what PETA told electric carmaker Tesla at its annual meeting in 2015, pointing out that turning animal skins into leather requires the use of 130 different chemicals (including cyanide), produces massive amounts of carbon emissions, and contributes to deforestation – not to mention what it does to river life and the humans downstreamwhen effluent is expelled into waterways. Although Elon Musk grumbled a bit, just 18 months after PETA asked him to switch all Tesla interiors to vegan leather, he did! At least 15 carmakers now offer 100% vegan interiors, including Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo. Even Bentley is using vegan leather derived

from grape skins, stalks, and seeds left over after making wine. And electric carmakers Fisker, Lucid, and Polestar all offer vegan interiors. BMW is set to launch an all-vegan electric SUV next year, while Hummer’s new electric truck offers vegan interiors with faux leather chosen “to promote sustainability and avoid the use of animal hides.” Budget-conscious shoppers can choose among Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Subaru, and Toyota – and that’s just for starters. Check out the list at PETA.org/LeatherFreeCars . PETA ł Polestar This Swedish electric-vehicle startup offers animal free interiors made from recycled plastic bottles, recycled cork vinyl, and reclaimed fishing nets. The compassionate carmaker kindly donated a vegan car to be given away at PETA’s 40 th anniversary celebration.

Brown-bagging it gets a serious upgrade with Modern Picnic’s sleek mock croc lunch tote.

update its iconic Stan Smith shoes (shown below).

Take Action Now Give leather the boot, and encourage everyone you know to visit PETAAU.vg/VeganLeather to see why vegan leather is the future of fashion. Shop for animal-free fashions at PETAMall.com .

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Put your best foot forward in O2 Monde’s sexy pink slingbacks made out of recycled fibers.

Lower your closet’s carbon footprint: von Holzhausen’s

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proprietary Technik Leather is made from 80% recycled plastic water bottles.

Global 21

20 FROM CARS TO COUTURE

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