How Many Sheep Die for a Shearling Jacket?

There’s nothing quite like wrapping yourself in something soft and cozy. But picture this: You’re out shopping and spot a coat on a rack. Maybe it’s on sale. The tag reads shearling, and you wonder, “What is shearling anyway?”

There isn’t much information about shearling online, and the fur industry would probably like to keep it that way. That shearling coat came at a cost far greater than the price tag.

What Is Shearling?

Shearling is the skin of a lamb with his or her wool still attached. Workers slaughter lambs raised for shearling when the animals are still just babies—often around the time their first two teeth emerge.

How Is Shearling Made?

Workers hack the skin off of a young lamb, tan it, and leave the wool attached. This means that every shearling “garment” comes from an animal who was killed for their skin and hair. It can take dozens of abused sheep to make a single coat.

Is Shearling the Same Thing as Fur?

Yes, shearling is fur. Shearling is also leather (animal skin).

Who Are Lambs?

Lambs are baby sheep. They are gentle, intelligent animals who wag their tails when happy. And—just like humans—lambs want to live.

When a lamb reaches a year old, they are full of personality. They recognize their family members and human caregivers, form deep social bonds, and even have best friends. At one year old, they are playful and curious, frolicking, running, and jumping.

But in the wool industry, workers mutilate lambs and sheep, including cutting off their tails without pain relief.

The Horrors of the Wool Industry

On one “sustainable wool” farm, a PETA video expose revealed that workers picked up lambs and—while they were fully conscious—tied their legs together, plunged knives into their throats, and sawed through their necks. Some of the lambs still managed to cry out and gasp.

Sherpa vs. Shearling

Shearling is not the same as sherpa. Sherpa’s soft, fluffy, and curly pile texture is made to mimic sheep’s wool, but sherpa is almost always made with animal-free materials, such as cotton, bamboo, polyester, or acrylic. Choosing sherpa means choosing kindness and leaving sheep’s skin where it belongs—on their bodies.

But sherpa is not the only kind, wool-like textile on the market.

What to Buy Instead of Shearling

It’s easy to avoid wearing an animal’s skin and wool when so many innovative, warm, and animal-free materials are available. Here’s a partial list of materials that are kind to animals and the environment:

• Sherpa
• Organic cotton
• Linen
• Seaweed fiber
• Wood-based textiles
• Beech Tree fiber
• Hemp
• Soy fabric (or “vegetable cashmere”)
• rPET
• Coconut fiber

Lambs deserve to live free from harm, wagging their tails in happiness—not be killed to become coats or boots. When you choose animal-free materials like sherpa, organic cotton, or beech tree fiber, you make a statement that cruelty-free fashion is always in style. Will you please take a moment to pledge never to wear shearling or anything else from an animal?

Pledge Not to Buy Wool!

By signing our pledge, you’ll send a powerful message to the designers, retailers, and others who profit from animal suffering.