Due to stronger animal cruelty concerns, the second-largest clothing retailer in the world– H&M– is now selling more vegan clothing than ever.
H&M’s aim is to stop using cashmere (and remove cashmere from its current line of clothing) by the end of the year 2020. This action is part of the company’s larger 2030 goals list, which includes using more sustainable resources (such as cotton via the Better Cotton Initiative), using only recycled or sustainable materials, and making its supply chain more transparent.
The company’s decision to remove cashmere from its list of materials was inspired by efforts made by PETA Asia to expose the animal cruelty involved in creating cashmere. The effort consisted of a collection of images and videos that show terrified goats being forcibly held down as workers ripped out their hair with metal combs. After the hair “harvest,” the goats were left medically unattended with open and bleeding cuts.
PETA Asia’s initiative also shared information on just how harmful cashmere is for the planet. According to PETA, it has the most harmful environmental impact compared to any other animal-based fiber.
Instead of using traditional animal cashmere in its apparel, the clothing giant H&M will instead use other cruelty-free materials to create similar clothing. It has already begun the process of creating a completely cruelty-free material lineup, including its recent introduction of cruelty-free silk and pineapple leather apparel collections.
