Animals Used for Clothing FAQs

“What’s wrong with wearing leather? Aren’t the cows going to be slaughtered for meat anyway?”

This is a common misconception concerning leather, but leather is not simply a slaughterhouse byproduct. According to industry sources, the skins of the animals represent “the most economically important byproduct of the meat packing industry.”

When dairy cows’ production declines, for example, their skin is made into leather, and the hides of their offspring, calves raised for veal, are made into high-priced calfskin. Thus, the economic success of the slaughterhouse (and the factory farm) is directly linked to the sale of leather goods. Decreasing demand for both animal foods and leather products will reduce the number of cows who suffer and are killed on factory farms. There are so many alternatives to leather, why support unnecessary cruelty? To read more about leather and the great alternatives to animal skins that are available, visit CowsAreCool.com.

“Isn't leather better for the environment than synthetics?”

Although leathermakers like to tout their products as “eco-friendly,” leather production actually harms the environment, and tanning prevents leather from biodegrading. Animal skin is turned into finished leather using a variety of dangerous substances, including mineral salts, formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, and various oils, dyes, and finishes, some of which are cyanide-based.

Most leather that is produced in the U.S. is chrome-tanned, and the Environmental Protection Agency considers all waste that contains chromium to be hazardous. In addition to the toxic substances mentioned above, tannery effluent also contains large amounts of other pollutants, such as protein, hair, salt, lime sludge, sulfides, and acids.

Among the disastrous consequences of this noxious waste is the threat to human health from the highly elevated levels of lead, cyanide, and formaldehyde in the groundwater near tanneries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the incidence of leukemia among residents in an area surrounding one tannery in Kentucky was five times the national average.

Read about the switch to synthetics in professional sports.

“I’ve heard that the Indian leather industry is really cruel. Is it really so bad?”

Since slaughtering cows and buffalos is illegal under most circumstances in all but a few states in India, animals are marched over hot, dusty roads for 50 to 100 miles, across state lines, to locations where they can be loaded onto trucks and taken to slaughter.

Typically, 15 to 20 animals are crammed into trucks meant for only five or six, so cattle must climb over one another to find space, inadvertently gouging each other with their horns or trampling and crushing those beneath them. Their horns are broken off, and their nose rings are ripped out during the struggle. The overcrowded conditions are particularly cruel when temperatures soar, leading to crippling exhaustion and suffocation.

Many animals are so sick and injured by the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse that they must be dragged inside. Others have hot chili peppers and tobacco rubbed into their eyes or their tail bones painfully twisted and broken in order to make them stand. Some animals have their legs hacked off or are skinned while they are still alive.

Because of this cruelty, more and more people in India, the U.S., and around the world are refusing to buy leather. In this technologically advanced age, it’s easy to find inexpensive, quality shoes and accessories that are stylish and free of animal suffering.

Watch footage of the Indian leather industry.

“I don’t have the time to search high and low for nonleather shoes and accessories.”

Nonleather products are readily available. Many department stores and shoe stores offer nonleather shoes, bags, and other products. In fact, many products that look like leather are actually synthetic (pleather)—just check the label for those magic words: “all man-made materials” or “synthetic.” A great place to find nonleather shoes is Payless Shoe Source—look no further than your local mall!

Get a free copy of PETA’s "Shopping Guide to Compassionate Clothing."

“What’s wrong with wearing wool?”

As with other industries in which animals are raised for profit, the interests of the animals used in the wool industry are rarely considered. Flocks usually consist of thousands of sheep, so providing individual attention to their needs is virtually impossible. Many people believe that shearing sheep helps animals who might otherwise be burdened with too much wool, but without human interference, sheep grow just enough wool to protect themselves from temperature extremes.

Most wool comes from Australia. Just weeks after birth, lambs’ ears are hole-punched, their tails are chopped off, and males are castrated—all without anesthetics. Male lambs are castrated when they are between 2 and 8 weeks old with a rubber ring that is used to cut off their blood supply—one of the most painful methods of castration possible. Many lambs die from exposure or starvation before they are 8 weeks old, and many mature sheep die from disease, lack of shelter, and neglect.

To prevent “flystrike,” Australian ranchers perform a barbarous operation called “mulesing,” which involves carving huge strips of skin and flesh off the backs of unanesthetized lambs’ legs. When shearing, speed is everything. Shearers are usually paid by volume, not by the hour, which encourages quick and careless work. Says one eyewitness, “The shearing shed must be one of the worst places in the world for cruelty to animals. I have seen shearers punch sheep with their shears or fists until the sheep’s noses bled. I have seen sheep with half their faces shorn off.”

Read more about wool and its cruelty-free alternatives.

“Is the fur industry really as cruel as people make it out to be?”

It’s even crueler. PETA’s investigations at fur farms have found that some animals are killed by anal electrocution, meaning that an electrically charged steel rod is inserted into their rectums, literally frying their insides. Exposed broken bones, upper respiratory infections, and cancerous tumors were among the wounds and diseases that animals endured—without veterinary treatment—on one fur farm that we investigated.

Animals caught in steel-jaw leghold traps are in so much pain that some actually bite off their limbs in order to escape. Unable to eat, keep warm, or defend themselves against predators, many die horrible deaths before the trapper arrives to kill them. Others suffer in the traps for days until they are caught and killed. To avoid damaging the pelt, trappers often beat or stomp the animals to death. Most states have no regulations regarding methods of slaughtering these animals.

Whether enduring the excruciating pain of a leghold trap or a lifetime of agony in a tiny cage, the animals suffer immensely. To read more about the atrocities of the fur industry and what PETA is doing to help, visit FurIsDead.com.

“Why does PETA give fur coats to the homeless?”

Donating unwanted furs that have been marked with red paint to homeless people not only helps needy people keep warm, it also allows us to counteract reports of a “fur comeback” by showing that we are receiving more fur donations than ever from people who are appalled by the cruelty involved in fur ranching and trapping. In media interviews about fur giveaways, we are able to point out that even after using hundreds of furs in educational displays, dumping them at museums and outside furriers’ stores, painting them for floats, dragging them through the streets, burying and burning them, and even donating them to wildlife rehabilitators for use as animal bedding, we still have plenty of coats left over.

Fur giveaways also counteract furriers’ efforts to portray fur as “upscale,” “chic” status symbols. In fact, the overwhelming influx of fur into our office means that fur has hit rock bottom.

Read about PETA’s program to donate furs to Afghan refugees.

“How is down obtained?”

Typically, ducks and geese are lifted by their necks, their legs are tied, and their feathers are ripped out. The struggling birds often sustain injuries during plucking. They are then returned to their cages until they are ready to be plucked again. This process begins at about 9 weeks of age and occurs every 6 weeks until the birds go to slaughter.

Feathers are often plucked out of ducks and geese who are raised for food. Those raised for foie gras, especially, suffer terribly. They are force-fed up to six times a day with a funnel that is inserted into their throats, and up to 6 pounds of a salty, fatty corn mash is pumped into each bird’s stomach each day—until the birds’ livers have ballooned to four times their normal size.

Synthetic alternatives to down are not only cruelty-free, they are also cheaper and, unlike down, retain their insulating capabilities in all weather conditions.

Read more about down and the cozy, cruelty-free alternatives.

“Why Should Animals Have Rights?”

Supporters of animal rights believe that animals have an inherent worth—a value completely separate from their usefulness to humans. We believe that every creature with a will to live has a right to live free from pain and suffering. For more information, click here.