Burberry's fur confession

Sadly, there are several big name brands who think using fur is acceptable. British firm Burberry are one of them.

Most people can see the beauty in animals keeping their own fur. Burberry think you should wear it.
Photo is courtesy of PETA

This is the email Ithat was sent to them on behalf after I signed and online petition -

Subject: Stop selling Fur

Greetings,

i understand that your stores are selling many fur or fur-trimmed items, made with real fur. We are sure that if you knew what goes on behind the scenes in the fur industry, you would not want these cruel products to be a part of your collection.

Millions of animals, including rabbits, raccoons, and foxes, are painfully trapped in steel-jaw leg hold traps each year. Those who don't freeze or starve are usually beaten to death or suffocated when the trapper arrives hours or days later. Animals held captive on fur farms spend their short lives crowded in wire cages where they suffer from inadequate water, disease, parasites, and stress. The animals are killed by anal electrocution, poisoning, or suffocation. Those who don't die immediately are skinned alive.

In 1998, 94 percent of the people who responded to a survey in Cosmopolitan magazine said animals should not be killed for their fur. People assume that a scrap of fur on the collar is fake and I assure you that many would be appalled to learn that it is real. I trust that you cannot, in good conscience, support this unnecessary torture inflicted upon millions of animals each year.

I hope you will decide to eliminate all fur from your stores after considering this information. Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,


Jennifer Thomson
Millport, United Kingdom

This is the reply I got from Burberry. Note the way they claim their fur is humane and refer to fur as 'natural hide.' This is to make people think its the same as leather and to distance what they sell from fur.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your feedback regarding Burberry's use of natural hides.

By way of background, Burberry is an international luxury brand producing apparel and accessories with a distinct British sensibility for over 150 years. As a company with a strong outerwear heritage, there has been, and will continue to be, occasions where consumer tastes demand the use of natural hides.

Burberry will not use natural hides if there is any concern that it has been produced using unacceptable treatment of animals. We source natural hides very carefully, safeguarding the correct ethical standards and traceability. Specifically, we source fur from furriers who are well known for upholding high standards of ethical treatment of animals and share our concerns about animal welfare.

Burberry believes in the accurate labelling of all garments containing fur, to clearly inform consumers about the product prior to their purchase. As a result Burberry is a signatory to the US government's Truth In Fur Labelling Act.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us on this subject and giving us the opportunity to reply.

Kind regards,

Burberry Customer Service

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3402 1444

Email: customerservice@burberry.com

www.burberry.com

www.facebook.com/burberry

www.twitter.com/burberry

www.youtube.com/burberry

www.artofthetrench.com

Ways to make the world a better place today

It's daunting, isn't it when you see all the bad things happening in the world whether it's to people or animals and you feel helpless, that there is nothing we can do. But, the good news is that we can all change the world and we can start today.

Here are some tips -

1. Whenever you see something you don't like, complain about it, tell your friends. Blog about it, put it on Facebook, Tweet it. Let as many people know as you possibly can. Complain to the company concerned.

Example - Someone informed me that Amazon.com were selling fox tails, so I contacted them about it using this online form.

2. Buy products that carry the Leaping Bunny logo. That way you are helping to bring about the end of animal testing.

3. Do you know that neighbour or work colleague you've never spoken to or just said hi to? Try and have a conversation with them. Make them smile. Even better make them laugh. Loneliness is a terrible thing and you may be the only person they speak to that day.

4.Ditch the KFC. The company hasn't been dubbed Kentucky Fried Cruelty without good reason.

5. Do something nice for someone. Buy your mum some chocolates (dairy free as chocolate containing milk comes from the cruel dairy cow industry) or get you dad a DVD of his favourite show. Get your partner something you know they will like. Help create a world where we show the ones we love that we love them and don't wait until it's too late.