Big ‘Birds’ Set to Ruffle H&M’s Feathers Over Cruel Down Exposé

For Immediate Release:
April 25, 2023

Contact:
Nicole Meyer 202-483-7382

Giant “ducks” and “geese” and a flock of PETA supporters will swoop down on a local H&M store on Thursday to call out the company’s use of cruelly produced down.

When:    Thursday, April 27, 12 noon

Where:    Outside H&M, 1505 Woodward Ave., at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Clifford Street, Detroit

A recent PETA Asia investigation into Vietnamese duck farms and slaughterhouses that sold “responsible” down to H&M shows ducks suffering from gaping and bloody wounds, languishing in dirty sheds and lots strewn with feces, and being stabbed in the neck while still conscious. Many of the birds continued to move for more than a minute after workers cut their necks. As a result, H&M removed the “responsible” down label from its offerings, indicating that it knows the designation is a sham—but it continues to sell down jackets.

PETA has released nine exposés of the down industry, each proving that filth, suffering, and violent deaths are industry norms.

“Every down item represents the pain and suffering of terrified birds, and deceptive labels and lip service only serve to dupe well-meaning consumers,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is urging H&M to help end this cruelty by banning down and sticking to animal-friendly materials, such as those it already sells and that its shoppers love.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information about PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.