Retailers urged to wake up to real fur and end consumer confusion
A NEW anti-fur campaign called 100 per cent fake is being launched after an RSPCA investigation found two high street chains selling unlabelled or mislabelled fur.
A mystery shopper bought a coat with trim made from real fur from a branch of the retailer TK Maxx which has a no-fur policy.
The label stated the coat to be made of polyester and nylon but made no mention of fur. Laboratory analysis identified the trim as Arctic fox.
A pair of gloves with real fur trim was bought from an Edinburgh Woollen Mill store where the label claimed the cuff to be made of acrylic, but laboratory analysis identified the material as rabbit fur.
David Bowles, the RSPCA's head of external affairs, said: "We believe that real fur is mistakenly being widely sold in the UK.
"An RSPCA survey showed that 93 per cent of people would not wear real fur, but a lot of shoppers are accidentally buying real fur assuming that it's fake because it is cheap and not clearly labelled."
As a result of the RSPCA's investigation, TK Maxx said it was "committed to enforcing rigorous processes to ensure real fur product does not enter our business," and The Edinburgh Woollen Mill has now pledged to stop selling fur by next Spring.
The RSPCA is opposed to the fur industry which unnecessarily kills 55m animals a year. The Society is calling for shoppers to check all fur-like products and not buy them unless they are sure it doesn't contain any real fur, and for retailers not to sell real fur and to carry out more stringent checks on the products they sell.
The launch of the new campaign coincides with this year's The Clothes Show Live at which the RSPCA will promote its 100 per cent Fake campaign.
Mr Bowles added: "Many shoppers are quite rightly sickened by the thought of wearing the fur of an animal which has suffered just to produce a 'fashionable' piece of clothing.
"It is not possible to farm humanely an animal for its fur and excellent artificial fur is available.
"The way in which animals such as Arctic fox are farmed is horrific.
"We are calling on shoppers not to be fooled by fur. Our message is 'If you're not sure it's 100% fake, don't buy it'.
"Shoppers should check to see whether the fur looks real - even if the label claims the fur to be fake or no mention of fur is made on the label."
There is no clear legal requirement for retailers to positively label fur as long as any labelling that does appear is not "misleading".
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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