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Controversial clothing brand Canada Goose may be developing faux fur, according to vegan news outlet Vegconomist.
The company comes under regular fire due to its treatment of coyotes who are killed so their skin can be used as trim on coats.
Canada Goose faux fur
Now, Vegconomist reports that Canadian vegan activist Jenny McQueen, who has worked with Direct Action Everywhere and Toronto Pig Save, spoke to a man who claimed to be a Canada Goose employee during a recent protest.
“He and his wife stopped at a protest outside a Toronto butcher,” McQueen told the publication. “I spotted he had a pristine CG coat on without the fur, asked his partner if he’d removed it, and she told me they sell without the fur, which I’m aware of.
“She then told me he works for CG. He told me about the development of faux fur. PETA is also following up to hopefully confirm the conversation I had with the CG worker.”
‘Hope the brand changes’
Speaking to Plant Based News about the potential development, PETA Director of International Programmes Mimi Bekhechi said: “Any move that prevents coyotes from dying horribly in steel traps is a good one.
“PETA has been calling on Canada Goose to go vegan, and we hope the brand moves swiftly to offer what consumers really want: jackets that no coyote or goose had to die for.”
Canada Goose under fire
The clothing company has been the target of vegan activists in multiple countries – with activists protesting outside the London store weekly. In addition, some celebrities have publically addressed the brand.
Last week, vegan musician Morrissey sent Canda Goose CEO Dani Reiss an open letter, urging him to ‘make the old ethical choice to remove coyote fur and down feathers’ from the parkas.
Canada Goose has also been criticized for its treatment of geese (Video: PETA)
‘Cruel trapping industry’
“Canada Goose has almost singlehandedly revived the cruel trapping industry, in which animals can suffer for days and try to gnaw off their ensnared limbs before the trapper eventually returns to bludgeon them to death,” Morrissey wrote in the letter.
“No hood adornment is worth that. And geese are confined to cramped cages and trucked hundreds of miles to slaughter in all weather conditions before they’re hung upside down and their throats are slit – often while they’re still conscious – so that their feathers can be stuffed into (and poke out of) jackets.
“That strip of coyote fur isn’t keeping anyone warm, and there are plenty of superior insulators composed of everything from biodegradable fleece to coconut husks. That’s why other outerwear makers, including For All Kind, Save the Duck, and HoodLamb, have already dispensed with fur and down for their products.”
‘Misrepresented’
Canada Goose has previously denied that it abuses animals for fashion, releasing a statement accusing activists of ‘misleading consumers’
“Surge, PETA, and other activist groups misrepresent the facts and use sensational tactics to try to elicit a reaction and mislead consumers,” the company said.
“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.”
Plant Based News has contacted Canada Goose for further details.