H&M Wool Sales Linked to New Expose of Battered, Bloodied Sheep: PETA Set to Protest

For Immediate Release:
April 28, 2026

Contact:
Andrew Grant 202-483-7382

Shoppers on Market Street will get a glimpse of the suffering sheep endure in the wool industry on Thursday, when PETA supporters dressed as bruised and bloodied sheep will converge on the H&M store to demand an end to the brand’s wool sales. The action follows a just-released PETA Asia investigation into a NATIVA-certified South African wool operation tied to H&M Group’s supply chain which includes footage of workers kicking and stomping on terrified sheep, dragging them by their legs, and leaving them with gaping wounds after crude shearing.

PETA entities have now released 17 exposés of over 150 wool industry operations in seven countries on four continents—revealing that even on self-proclaimed “ethical” and “responsible” farms, extreme cruelty and violence are rampant.

“How many times does H&M need to see video evidence of sheep being kicked, punched, and left bleeding on the floor of a shearing shed before it stops hiding behind labels that mislead kind consumers and takes action?” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on H&M to ban wool and reminds shoppers that vegan clothing is the only way to ensure that no animal was harmed for what’s on the hanger.”

Where:           Outside H&M, 901 Market St., Philadelphia (Near the intersection of Market Street and N. 10th Street)

When:             Thursday, April 30, 12 noon

Why:               Sheep are highly social animals who grow depressed if isolated from their flock. PETA Asia’s investigation documented workers kicking sheep in the head and body, hitting them in the face with shearing equipment, beating them with a piece of wood, and picking up and dragging lambs by their front legs. One worker dropped his knee onto a ram’s neck, hitting the animal’s head on the floor. Others sheared the sheep quickly and carelessly, slicing their skin and leaving them bloody in the process.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a sheep is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.