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E-commerce website Etsy, which mainly sells handmade or vintage items, is under growing pressure to ban the sale of animal fur from its website.
The company currently allows sellers to post and sell items made of real fur – and has been urged by animal-rights organization PETA to change its policy and make a ‘positive social impact’.
‘Banning fur’
“Etsy prides itself on selling an array of fashionable and artistic items, but there’s nothing artistic or fashionable about killing animals,” the charity wrote.
“The company has a policy on animal-derived products in place prohibiting certain items, such as pieces made from the body parts of endangered species, ivory and bones from ivory-producing animals, and cat and dog parts or pelts.
“Banning fur would be as simple to implement as any of these other policies. Hundreds of other companies have already banned fur, and we’re urging Etsy to do the same.”
‘Tsunami’ of protest
Last month, department store House of Fraser removed animal fur from its store following a ‘tsunami of public protest’.
The retailer stopped selling real fur more than a decade ago but recently ‘u-turned’ the ban after it was brought out by new owner Mike Ashley – resulting in jackets made from wild coyote, factory-farmed rabbit and raccoon, dog fur from China, and fox fur from Finland appearing in its stores.
In a statement sent to Plant Based News, UK Executive Director of Humane Society International Claire Bass said: “We are delighted to see that cruel animal fur products have been removed from House of Fraser’s website and stores nationwide.
“HoF’s new CEO Mike Ashley has been hit by a tsunami of public protest, with thousands of messages from shoppers shocked and appalled to see this respected high street store turned into a House of Horrors, selling fur from factory-farmed rabbits, foxes, and raccoon dogs as well as coyotes trapped and shot in the wild.
You can send PETA’s pre-written message to Etsy here
Plant Based News has contacted Etsy for comment
