Animal Welfare in the Fashion Industry

According to FOUR PAWS, a global animal welfare organization, over two billion animals are used in the global fashion industry each year, many of which suffer from poor living conditions, painful physical mutilation practices and chronic stress. 

FOUR PAWS' research found that most fashion brands lack:

• Awareness of animal welfare issues in textile supply chains
• Thorough and effective animal welfare policies
• Traceability in animal-derived textile supply chains and end-to-end traceability in general
• Transparency to customers on the origin of animal-derived products and the animal welfare risks involved

It is clear that animal welfare is a critical issue for the fashion supply chain. However, although the most immediate solution may be the production of animal-free clothing, it is important to emphasize that 'vegan' products in fashion are not always synonymous with sustainability. These, in fact, present critical environmental issues worthy of consideration.

In this quick start article, we will take a closer look at animal welfare in the fashion industry, animal-free alternatives and possible solutions that fashion brands can adopt to ensure animal welfare along the supply chain.

What is animal welfare?

Concerns about animal welfare on intensive livestock farms began in 1964, when the book Animal Machines was published describing the intensive livestock and poultry farming practices of the time.

The British public's outcry at the information in the book prompted the government to appoint a committee to examine the welfare of farm animals. In 1965, the committee, chaired by Professor Roger Brambell, presented the 'Brambell Report'.

In summary, the report stated that animals should have the freedom 'to stand up, lie down, turn around, clean themselves and stretch their limbs'. These freedoms became known as 'Brambell's five freedoms' and were expanded in 1979 by the Farm Animal Welfare Council (now called the Farm Animal Welfare Committee) to create a more detailed list of needs:

• Freedom from hunger and thirst: through immediate access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour
• Freedom from discomfort: by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area
• Freedom from pain, injury or illness: through prevention or prompt diagnosis and treatment
• Freedom to express normal behavior: by providing sufficient space, appropriate facilities and companionship of the same species as the animal
• Freedom from fear and distress: by providing conditions and care that avoid mental suffering

An animal's welfare, therefore, includes its physical and mental states and how it adapts to external environments. The five freedoms have been used as a basis for writing protocols on animal care for many professional groups, including veterinarians.

Ensuring animal welfare in the fashion industry: existing certifications

There are several certifications that allow companies in the fashion industry to ensure the protection of animal welfare along the supply chain, according to the categories of animal-derived materials they deal with:

Wool 

• The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) promoted by Textile Exchange, is a voluntary global standard that addresses the welfare of animals and the land they graze on. The RWS certification guarantees that the wool comes from responsibly managed sheep farms, demonstrating compliance with the Five Freedoms for the protection of animal welfare and ensuring traceability of the entire production process from farm to seller in the final business-to-business transaction. It is also a no mulesing certification. 
• ZQ is a merino wool certification that guarantees animal welfare and environmental standards. It is a no mulesing standard. 
• The SustainaWOOL™ Integrity Scheme sets the benchmark for sustainability standards within the wool production system in Australia and provides consumers with integrity and traceability throughout the production chain. It is a no mulesing standard.

Feather 

• The Responsible Down Standard (RDS) is a voluntary certification developed by the Textile Exchange. The certification ensures that the down and feathers used to produce the filling elements are obtained from waterfowl (e.g. goose and duck) or land birds (e.g. chicken and turkey) that have not been subjected to treatments that cause pain, suffering or stress. 
• The Global Traceable Down Standard, issued by the National Sanitation Foundation, certifies that all materials in the down supply chain come from farms and traceable supply chains that respect animal welfare.

Other animal-derived materials 

• The Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS) is a voluntary standard developed by the Textile Exchange that requires certification of all sites, from the alpaca farms to the seller in the final business-to-business transaction. Farmers and breeders who follow the Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS) must meet animal welfare, land management and social sustainability requirements.
• The Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) is a voluntary standard developed by the Textile Exchange that requires certification of all sites in the mohair supply chain, from the farm to the seller in the final business-to-business transaction. Farmers and breeders who follow the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) must meet animal welfare, land management and social sustainability requirements.

The limits of sustainability certifications

In order to address the critical animal welfare issues along the textile and fashion supply chain, companies can adopt various certifications that ensure the protection of animal welfare throughout the supply chain.

However, as the report 'Licence to greenwash' by the Changing Markets Foundation points out, sustainability certifications in fashion have certain limitations:

• The independence of certifying bodies is not always guaranteed, particularly in producer countries where the level of corruption is high
• The criteria for applying the standards are not always transparent and do not allow for public scrutiny
• Each certification covers a limited number of environmental and social aspects
• The large number of certifications and standards creates confusion among consumers and companies
• Different brands have independently developed standards
• Compliance with standards must be guaranteed by regular audits
• Constant updating of standards is necessary to ensure coverage of critical issues emerging over time

To address some of the limitations listed above, it would be useful to have access to public reports that provide data on the reduction of the environmental impact of farms that have joined certification schemes, information that is currently difficult to find. 

This important lack of information makes it difficult for companies to choose the most sustainable option, i.e. the one with the least environmental impact along the supply chain.

Vegan fashion: is it really a solution to the problem?

Fashion companies that use alternative materials to those of animal origin guarantee animal welfare; on the other hand, it is important to remember that vegan fashion products are not always the best alternative in terms of environmental impact. Vegetable, synthetic or artificial fibers used in place of animal-derived fibers may in fact present several environmental concerns:

• Cotton: The cultivation of cotton is responsible for considerable environmental impacts. In particular, it is estimated that the production of the fiber requires 200,000 tonnes of pesticides and 8 million tonnes of synthetic fertilizers each year, which ruin the soil and damage the health of the farmers who use it, and is responsible for the release of around 220 million tonnes of CO₂. Conventional cotton production also requires a large amount of water resources, with 73% of the cotton produced worldwide coming from artificially irrigated land.
• Bio-based alternatives to animal-derived leather: In the processing of plant-based alternatives, plant-derived components are often mixed with binders and chemical coatings, which compromise their biodegradability.
• Man-made cellulosic fibers: the main environmental issues related to man-made cellulosic fibers are:
• the exploitation of forest resources: viscose production is contributing to the rapid depletion of the world's forests. It is estimated that about 30% of rayon and viscose used in fashion is produced with pulp from ancient and endangered forests;
• the chemicals used in processing: the production process of man-made cellulosic fibers involves the use of hazardous chemicals. Within the viscose and modal production process, chemicals react with the cellulose and create by-products that could be released into the air, water and soil if the production process is not an integrated (closed-loop) process.
• rPET: Although the production of garments from recycled plastic bottles may seem like a virtuous circular economy practice, the following aspects must be considered:
• Impact on the environment: companies often struggle to obtain white rPET fabric, so they use chlorine bleach to bleach the base. The poor absorption of the dye does not allow the color to remain on the fabric from batch to batch and this can lead to high levels of re-dyeing, requiring high consumption of water, energy and chemicals;
• Releases microplastics: according to a study by Plymouth University, UK, each cycle of a washing machine can release more than 700,000 plastic fibers into the environment.

Case studies of fashion companies and retailers with strict animal welfare policies

There are several case studies of fashion companies and retailers that have implemented strict policies to ensure animal welfare along the supply chain, including:

• Kering: in 2019, the Group presented its Animal Welfare Standards, providing a framework for the treatment of animals throughout the supply chain. Kering wanted to make the document public in order to make it available in open source and thus promote change within the entire industry. The Standards cover all species involved in the Group's supply chains and include detailed guidelines for the treatment of cattle, sheep and goats throughout the life of the animals and guidelines for slaughterhouses. The Standards are structured in Bronze, Silver and Gold levels to provide clear guidance on key responsibilities and aim to support the Group's suppliers to ensure continuous improvement.
• Stella McCartney: The well-known British luxury fashion brand calls itself a vegetarian company as its products do not involve the slaughter of animals. Where possible, the company purchases wool from farms that are committed to the highest levels of animal welfare and environmental protection, refusing to buy wool from farms that practice mulesing. In line with the cruelty-free philosophy, none of the company's products are tested on animals.

Conclusions

The issue of animal welfare along the textile and fashion supply chain is one of the main challenges within the fashion industry.

Although the use of alternative materials to animal skin may be a solution to address the issue of animal welfare protection, it is important to note that the different fibers used as alternatives may present significant environmental issues. Consequently, vegan fashion products are not always environmentally sustainable.

Furthermore, sustainable fashion certifications alone do not seem to guarantee full respect for animal welfare along the supply chain. Therefore, in addition to adopting sustainability certifications, fashion companies need to work on traceability and monitoring of their supply chains.

Cikis can support your company in identifying and acquiring the most suitable certification for your business and in tracking the supply chain in order to improve its level of sustainability.