How to Be Sure Down Clothing Is Cruelty-Free
- 11 years ago
In recent years, the down-procuring practice of stripping geese, and sometimes ducks, of their fluffy undercoat has been exposed as an often-cruel one.
As winter tightens its grip on much of the country, many are reaching for their down coats and comforters to keep the chill from settling into their bones.
Keeping a clear conscious, however, may not be as easy as keeping warm.
In recent years, the practice of stripping geese, and sometimes ducks, of their fluffy undercoat has been exposed as an often-cruel one.
The specific process under scrutiny is called live plucking and involves feathers being pulled by the handful, often with chunks of skin coming with them.
It’s considered to be incredibly painful for the animals.
That’s left many consumers looking for confirmation that they’re buying down-filled items that were made in a humane way.
Something buyers can look for are products that are certified by their manufacturers as being traceable and not live plucked. Patagonia, for example, has physically visited their down supplier’s facilities and has tracked the procuring process all the way back to the egg.
Also, duck down is generally more traceable as there are fewer places that deal in it.
Products carrying the Canadian label Downmark are certified to been made with down not obtained by live plucking.
As winter tightens its grip on much of the country, many are reaching for their down coats and comforters to keep the chill from settling into their bones.
Keeping a clear conscious, however, may not be as easy as keeping warm.
In recent years, the practice of stripping geese, and sometimes ducks, of their fluffy undercoat has been exposed as an often-cruel one.
The specific process under scrutiny is called live plucking and involves feathers being pulled by the handful, often with chunks of skin coming with them.
It’s considered to be incredibly painful for the animals.
That’s left many consumers looking for confirmation that they’re buying down-filled items that were made in a humane way.
Something buyers can look for are products that are certified by their manufacturers as being traceable and not live plucked. Patagonia, for example, has physically visited their down supplier’s facilities and has tracked the procuring process all the way back to the egg.
Also, duck down is generally more traceable as there are fewer places that deal in it.
Products carrying the Canadian label Downmark are certified to been made with down not obtained by live plucking.