Feathers
Soft, floaty feathers may seem innocuous, but those used in fashion are products of cruelty, just like fur and leather.
Just as animals raised for their fur or skin spend their short, miserable lives confined to small, dark, and dirty spaces before being transported to slaughterhouses to be killed, birds exploited for their feathers are also subjected to the horrors of factory farming and a painful death.
The Bloody Reality
A PETA US investigation into ostrich farms and abattoirs in South Africa exposed workers forcibly restraining ostriches as young as 1 year old and striking birds on the head on the way to slaughter.
At slaughterhouses, ostriches are roughly pushed into restraints and electrically stunned before workers slit the animals’ throats. These clever birds have keen eyesight, and they can only watch as their terrified flockmates are killed so their feathers can be torn from their still-warm bodies. They are then skinned and dismembered.
Other birds, such as pheasants, parrots, and peacocks, are also used for their feathers. The industry is shrouded in secrecy, but one investigation into peacock farms in China found birds confined to plastic bags taped at the legs to protect the profitable feathers and denied the opportunity to move naturally or engage in other normal forms of behaviour. Live-plucking causes birds immense pain and sometimes fatal injuries.
Marabou feathers often seen on catwalks and red carpets are usually obtained from the poultry industry, which confines turkeys and chickens to cramped cages or filthy, crowded sheds for their entire lives.
Don’t Buy the Lies
Some people who profit from selling feathers will tell you that they are “collected” from wild birds who “drop them naturally” – this is a lie.
Birds moult only during certain times of year and under specific conditions, and they never drop all their feathers at once, so to meet demand, their feathers are either ripped out while they’re still alive or removed after slaughter. It’s ludicrous to imagine that birds – who need their feathers for everything from flight to insulation – are shedding enough plumes to feed the fashion industry’s voracious hunger for feathers.
No matter what the industry claims, birds – dead or alive – are plucked for profit. Because a bird’s feathers can be sold at a much higher price per kilogram than their flesh, feathers are actually a valuable co-product of the violent meat industry, meaning the feather trade shares responsibility for the killing of these sensitive individuals, as well as the climate-harming emissions of animal agriculture.
Feathers Are Foul for the Planet
Like all animal-derived products, feathers are bad news for the planet. South Africa’s ostrich industry alone emits more than 62,000 tonnes of carbon equivalent emissions per year, and each ostrich can produce as many as 5 kilograms of the greenhouse gas methane – the abatement of which is considered by experts to be crucial to tackling the climate catastrophe.
Feedlots, where ostriches are raised to slaughter age, generate a range of eco-wastes, and large amounts of water are needed to clean lots and slaughterhouses of blood, urine, and faeces.
Additionally, chemicals are used to clean, treat, and dye feathers. Feathers used in fashion are usually dyed with toxic heavy metals, such as carcinogenic formaldehyde and chromium, many of which render feathers unable to biodegrade.
Feathers Risk Bird and Human Health
Nowadays, barely a day goes by when we don’t hear something about the deadly threat avian (bird) flu poses to humans and other animals.
While we must stop eating the flesh of dead birds to help prevent the next deadly pandemic, another big part of the problem is using birds for their feathers and down.
Like on all factory farms, the filthy, cramped conditions observed on ostrich farms can increase the risk of disease emergence and transmission. In South Africa, major ostrich-rearing areas have experienced several highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks over the past two decades.
The feather supply chain is far from transparent, yet UK import guidelines state that feathers do not require a health certificate citing their source nor potential diseases they may carry. The importation of feathers from any country of origin or trading partner is permitted.
The Future of Fashion Is Feather-Free
Thankfully, the world is waking up to the suffering stitched into every feather boa, trim, and coat.
Australia’s Melbourne Fashion Week and Denmark’s Copenhagen Fashion Week have banned the use of wild-bird feathers from their catwalks (and Copenhagen has also banned wild-animal skins).
Stella McCartney recently launched PETA’s feather-free pledge, which designers Patrick McDowell, Richard Malone, Felder Felder, and others have already signed, and Australian label Zhivago, favoured by celebrities like Gwen Stefani and Cardi B, is famously feather-free.
Even major accessories brand Claire’s has pledged to never again sell real feathers, signalling a huge shift away from the use of beautiful birds to make clothes and accessories that hide an ugly secret.
You Can Help Birds Fly Free
Whether you’re heading to the Met Gala or a Mardi Gras parade, it’s easy to ensure birds don’t suffer for your look.
Go for gentle glam with luxurious faux feathers made from bamboo, recycled materials, or metals, and ensure your look is always cruelty-free by supporting brands that carry the “PETA-Approved Vegan” logo, such as Blue District, the creators of Ethical Plumes.