Icebreaker’s ‘Ethical Wool’ Sales Face Scrutiny After PETA Exposes Grisly Sheep Slaughter

For Immediate Release:
July 14, 2025

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

They remained conscious and twitched their ears after their throats were slashed: that’s what happens to sheep from ZQ-certified farms, including those at icebreaker’s supplier—even though ZQ claims to be “the world’s leading ethical wool brand.” In an urgent letter sent to icebreaker Global President Jan Von Mossevelde today, PETA is calling on the VF Corporation-owned company to reject cruelty to animals and switch entirely to vegan materials.

The damning PETA video was taken at a New Zealand slaughterhouse owned by Silver Fern Farms—which purchases sheep from ZQ-certified farms once their fleece production declines—and shows sheep being forced onto conveyer belts, electroshocked in the head, and violently killed.

“Sheep in New Zealand’s rotten wool industry endure a lifetime of violence until they are no longer profitable and then their throats are slit,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on icebreaker to get out of this cruel trade and switch to humane, vegan materials that today’s compassionate consumers demand.”

The investigation follows two recent PETA Asia-Pacific investigations, available here and here, revealing workers in New Zealand’s wool industry beating and kicking terrified sheep, stomping and standing on their necks, and violently throwing the animals down chutes, among other cruel acts. PETA Asia-Pacific submitted the evidence, along with documentation of the 34 farms—including 11 ZQ-certified facilities—in a formal complaint to the Ministry for Primary Industries, urging it to investigate and file appropriate charges for apparent violations of laws prohibiting cruelty to animals.

PETA entities have now released 16 exposés of more than 150 wool industry operations in seven countries on four continents, revealing that even on “sustainable,” “ethical,” and “responsible” farms, extreme cruelty and violence are rampant.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.