Vegan filmmaker Jack Harries is urging people to boycott controversial coat company Canada Goose – describing its down-filled, fur-trimmed coats as ‘cruel’.
He has joined forces with vegan charity PETA in a bid to spread awareness about how these materials are obtained – and how animals suffer in the process.
In a video created with the organization, he says: “When the weather drops, we all want to stay cozy and warm. However, there’s nothing colder than wearing fur from animals who have been violently trapped, killed, and skinned. I’m boycotting Canada Goose, and I hope you will too.”
‘Unnecessary animal cruelty’
Harries explains that coyotes – whose fur is used to trim the brand’s coats and jackets – are caught in steel traps and ‘may suffer for days from blood loss, shock, and dehydration before trappers arrive to strangle, stamp, or bludgeon them to death’.
According to PETA, mother coyotes have been ‘known to chew through their own limbs in their desperation to return to their starving pups’. He also points out that birds are hurt for Canada Goose’s outerwear which is stuffed with feathers.
“None of this cruelty is necessary,” says Harries. “Today’s designers and retailers can choose from a variety of fashionable and functional animal-free materials instead of using fur and down.
“Please join me in urging Canada Goose to stop using fur and down, and let them know that you won’t buy any of their products until they do so.”
Harries shares the horror behind Canada Goose Goose coats
Vegan fabric
“No kind person would knowingly buy a jacket for which coyotes and birds are treated so cruelly, and Jack Harries is helping PETA inform shoppers about the suffering in every stitch of Canada Goose’s coats,” PETA Director, Elisa Allen, said in a statement sent to Plant Based News.
“It’s high time that Canada Goose switched to innovative, cruelty-free faux fur and high-tech insulation, as so many top brands have already done.”
Harries joins celebrities including Justin Long, Maggie Q, Pamela Anderson, and Sarah Jeffery who have spoken out against Canada Goose.
PETA
A statement put out last year by Canada Goose said: “PETA, and other activist groups misrepresent the facts and use sensational tactics to try to illicit a reaction and mislead consumers.
“They ignore the strict government regulation and standards that are in place, as well as our commitment to ethical sourcing practices and responsible use of fur and down.”