PETA Global 2019 Issue 4

SKELETONS in Your Closet?

Are There

The PETA Shop Your Holiday Shopping HQ These gifts from PETA.org/Store will put a smile on the face of everyone on your list.

Down: A Big Rip-Off Ducks and geese raised for meat and foie gras (fatty liver) may endure being plucked every six weeks before they’re finally killed. It takes the feathers of about 75 birds to produce just one comforter, and down makes up 63% of the profits from these operations. The Compassionate Closet Consumer demand for animal-friendly clothing, accessories, and home goods is at an all-time high. Top designers, popular brands, and celebrity collaborators are all meeting the need for kind, eco-friendly fashion and housewares. Many companies have applied to use the “PETA-Approved Vegan” label, including H&M, and several more are partnering with PETA to promote sustainable vegan style. LaBante London and GUNAS vegan handbags are beloved by celebrities such as Charo and Rene Russo. Doshi ’s briefcases are also popular. The good guys at Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather founded an all-vegan French shoe company that boasts a global following. And the sisters behind the fun clothing at i love tyler madison (named after their rescued dogs) started their vegan company after reading one of PETA President Ingrid Newkirk’s books.

Skeleton: © iStock.com/wwing

Y oumay remember that vile dress made of raw, rotting beef that Lady Gaga wore to the MTV VideoMusic Awards. Attendees recoiled and remarked that it stank. But anyone who still buys cashmere, down, leather, mohair, wool, or other animal-derived clothing is a bit like the misguided celebrity – keeping the meat industry in business. That’s because buying slaughtered animals’ outsides puts money inside meat profiteers’ pockets. Big money.

Animal Fashion Victims The clothing industry would have us believe that leather is simply a castoff or “byproduct” of slaughter, a way to “use the whole animal” (as if that would make slaughter OK). Industry executives want us to think that shearing sheep and goats is like taking them to the barbershop – and that ducks and geese don’t mind it when their feathers are yanked out. The truth is that all the animals used and abused for textiles end up at

the slaughterhouse – and many are repeatedly tortured before that fatal moment arrives.

Torn paper border: © iStock.com/yasinguneysu • Snowflakes: © iStock.com/RamCreativ

What Leather Tries to Hide Cows’ skin is the most profitable part of their bodies, accounting for about 50% of their total slaughter value. Because of the high markup on skin sold as leather and the low profit margins of meat, the beef industry depends on sales of skin to stay afloat. In 2018, global bovine meat exports were at just over US$49 billion, while bovine skin brought in about US$240 billion, or nearly 83% of the total profit. manipulated, sheep would grow just enough wool to protect themselves from the cold – as would goats exploited for mohair and cashmere. But their coats can fetch a princely sum. In China, mohair accounts for between 55% and 70% of the gross return for each animal. And the United States Department of Agriculture states that goats are raised primarily for mohair, while their meat is considered a byproduct. Around the world, sheep are commonly bred for their wool and aren’t killed for meat until they’re no longer deemed profitable. Wool, Mohair, and Cashmere: The ‘Shear Numbers’ Are Astounding If they were left alone and not genetically

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Every “bunny” will love this adorable beanie.

Take Action Now Shop these and loads more animal-friendly retailers at PETAMall.com . Are you a

Oh là là! Who wouldn’t want to find these animal-friendly goodies under the tree?

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compassionate business owner? Find out how you can become a PETA Business Friend and help stop animal abuse every day at PETA.org/BusinessFriends .

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Lucy Davis models PETA’s charming apron.

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Rich hot cocoa topped with vegan marshmallows? Yes, please!

LaBante London and GUNAS vegan handbags are beloved by celebrities such as Rene Russo.

Look great while doing good in PETA hats, hoodies, and tees.

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Give your season’s greetings extra meaning with PETA cards. I

Global

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HIDE OUT

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