RSPCA: It's official: fur is a fashion faux-pas Businesses are invited to enter RSPCA ethical awards

Wednesday, 13 April 2011 12:00 AM

An overwhelming 93 per cent of people think products should be clearly labelled as real or fake fur, and more than half said it would stop them buying the item if it wasn't labelled. Ninety-five per cent of people said they would refuse to wear real fur.

As the ethical fashion and food categories of the RSPCA Good Business Awards are launched, we are calling for more companies to make their business policies more animal welfare-friendly.

The RSPCA was disappointed to see so many collections flaunting real mink, fox and raccoon dog furs at the fashion shows in London, New York and Milan. Animals farmed for their fur are often confined to tiny, barren cages and are denied opportunities to behave as they would in the wild.

RSPCA Good Business Awards judge and fashion director for Cosmopolitan magazine Shelly Vella said: "It's distressing and disappointing to see fur still being used in the fashion industry. One of the downsides to my job is seeing so much fur dominating the international catwalks every season. It was something I believed to be firmly out of fashion but it's crept back into popularity with a vengeance."

It's not just animal friendly fashion that consumers want. They are also supporting higher welfare eggs, and for the first time 50 per cent of UK eggs are now laid by cage free hens.**
This increased from 45 per cent in 2009, which shows that the industry is responding to the increasing demand for higher welfare products.

Barren battery cages
About 17 million hens are still kept in cages with less useable space each than the size of a piece of A4 paper. They are unable to move around freely, move away from each other easily or to express natural behaviours properly, such as foraging and dust bathing.

RSPCA senior farm animal scientist Alice Clark said: "The RSPCA believes that all hens should be kept in properly managed free-range or barn systems. We are encouraging those in the food retail sector to introduce and improve their animal welfare policies and to enter the food category of the Good Business Awards." The search is now on for this year's winners to commend companies who have animal welfare at the heart of their practices.

Companies who excelled at last year's RSPCA Good Business Awards include New Look, Marks & Spencer and George at Asda in the fashion category and The Co-operative, Sainsbury's and Abel & Cole for the food category.

For more information and to enter log onto www.rspcagoodbusinessawards.com. To find out more about ethical food and fashion go to www.goodthings.org.uk.

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Notes to editors

Interviews with Shelly Vella and RSPCA staff are available. Please contact the press office on 0300 123 0244 or email press@rspca.org.uk

The RSPCA will only accept applications from fashion companies that:
. Do not use fur
. Do not use Karakul lambskin pelts
. Do not use exotic skins
. Have a policy on sourcing merino wool.

The RSPCA will only accept applications from retailers, restaurants pubs and caterers that:
. Do not sell or serve foie gras.
. Do not sell or serve white veal.
. Only sell or serve meat from animals that have been pre-stunned before slaughter.

Winners will be promoted on the RSPCA Good Business Awards website and achievements will be detailed in a consumer guide to choosing higher welfare companies.

Judges for the fashion category are Lisa Armstrong, fashion editor of The Times, Wayne Hemingway, designer and co founder of Red Or Dead and Shelly Vella, fashion director of Cosmopolitan magazine.

Judges for the food category are presenter of BBC's Full On food Richard Johnson, food policy director at the British Retail Consortium Andrew Opie, independent food consultant Dr Geoff Spriegel and Prof John Webster, Professor Emeritus at Bristol University.

Awards open for entry to food retailers:
Caterers - event and contract
Independent retailer
Restaurant chain
Pub chain
Independent restaurant
Independent pub
People's Choice supermarket
Supermarket innovation award

Awards open for entry to fashion retailers:
Best Newcomer
Small Company (249 employees or less)
Large Company (250 employees or more)
Innovation Award

*This study was conducted in Great Britain via TNS PhoneBus, a telephone Omnibus survey. A representative sample of 2004 adults aged from 16 and above were interviewed between 24 September and 3 October 2010.

**Source: Defra, UK egg packing station throughput and prices -
www.defra.gov.uk

The photo of the racoon dog pelts is kindly provided by Care for the Wild International.

RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS
Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: 0303 123 0099
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel 08448 222888 and ask for pager number 828825
Email: press@rspca.org.uk Website: www.rspca.org.uk

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