Written by PETA
Here's some good news for lambs: Women's clothing retailer Talbots has pledged to phase out the use of merino wool from farmers who perform the mulesing mutilation (that is, they hack chunks of flesh from lambs' backsides with instruments resembling gardening shears, or they use clamps to squeeze the animals' skin so tightly that the flesh rots off). Talbots has committed to increasing the amount of wool from non-mulesed lambs every year until it completely eliminates wool from mulesed lambs in its products!
With an ever-growing list of retailers—including Gap Inc., H&M, Liz Claiborne, Perry Ellis, Hugo Boss, and Next—taking a stand against mulesing, it looks like the wool industry's cruelty to lambs is coming back to bite it in the rear. We can take a stand against mulesing, too, by putting cozy, cruelty-free clothes on our holiday wish lists.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
As if Wednesday's historic vote by the Catalan parliament in Spain to ban bullfighting wasn't enough to make you scream "Olé," we've just heard that oh-so-iconic Spanish design house Adolfo Dominguez S.A. has not only signed on to shun fur, it has also agreed not to purchase or sell exotic skins, clothing made from down plucked from live birds, or wool from Australian sheep who have endured the painful mulesing mutilation—meaning that they've have chunks of flesh cut off their backsides.
Adolfo Dominguez's aggressive animal welfare policy places the company waaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of the ethical fashion curve. For our friends in Spain, this news might warrant a spending spree. For everyone else, why not treat yourself to some fashion-forward outfits from other helpful retailers such as Gap Inc., Timberland, H&M, Liz Claiborne, HUGO BOSS, and Perry Ellis International, who have all taken action by banning fur, exotic skins, and/or wool from mulesed sheep.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Retailers around the world are finding alternatives to mulesed wool, and we're thrilled to announce that Gap Inc. is the latest mega-vendor to take a stand against the mutilation.
Last year, the clothing giant sent us a letter stating its opposition to the mulesing mutilation and pledging to monitor the Australian wool industry's promise to end mulesing by 2010. Since then, we've been in constant contact with representatives of Gap Inc., and after we let them know that the Australian wool industry reneged on its vow, the company released this statement:
Gap Inc. does not condone mulesing and is committed to sourcing all of our merino wool from farms that have ended the practice. We have already begun to phase out the purchase of wool from lambs that have been mulesed by clips or shears. We will continue to work with the wool industry, other brands, and external stakeholders to ensure ongoing progress and an adequate supply of wool that meets our needs and expectations.
Millions of sheep in Australia continue to endure the torment of having hunks of flesh hacked off their backsides or to suffer through the equally painful process of clip mulesing, in which clips are attached to the skin on lambs' backsides, causing the skin to rot and fall off. Take a moment to urge Talbots—which has failed to take any meaningful action against the Australian wool industry—to follow in Gap Inc.'s compassionate footsteps.
Written by Logan Scherer
I hope your closets are prepared, because I'm sure this bit of news will have you rushing out to stock up on vegan sweaters and skinny jeans. Both Levi's and Gap Inc. have pledged not to use great apes in future advertising campaigns!
Following the tragic death of Travis, a chimpanzee who formerly starred in Old Navy commercials, PETA approached Levi's and Old Navy's parent company, Gap Inc. (which also owns Gap and Banana Republic), to ask the companies not use apes in any future ads. Executives for both companies knew that their choice was clear once they learned that young apes who are used in commercials are ripped away from their mothers when they are only days old, trained by being beaten, kicked, and punched, and then discarded to live in filthy roadside zoos when they are too old and strong to handle.
Gap Inc. and Levi's join other progressive companies and organizations that have also signed our pledge, including Harris Teeter, SEGA, Honda, PUMA, Subaru, Keds, Yahoo!, and The Ad Council.
And, because we are never ones to let compassionate acts go unrewarded, we are sending both companies thank-you gifts for a job well done.
Written by Shawna Flavell
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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