According to the animal protection organization Four Paws (Four Paws in Germany), 400 international fashion brands and clothing suppliers have publicly spoken out against mulesing, underlining the growing global demand for cruelty-free wool.
The brands that signed the letter do not want mulesed wool and are already certified mulesing-free or intend to become so by 2030, according to Four Paws.
Signatories include brands such as Adidas, Aldi, Benetton, C&A, Decathlon, Esprit, H&M, Inditex, Kik, Kmart, Nike, Otto, Primark, Puma, Tchibo, Uniqlo and Zalando, all of which have contributed to the initiative It started with 100 brands and has grown to 400 in the last three years. A list of all signatories can be found on the Four Paws website.
Brands from A like Adidas to Z like Zalando are included
“Mulesing is the leading cause of livestock mutilation in the world. Four Paws will be there to make clear to the industry that real progress in mulesing depends on every member of the global wool supply chain. Pain-free alternatives are available and, if used, can save millions of lambs this serious suffering,” said Rebecca Picallo Gil, head of the Four Paws campaign to end mulesing, in a press release.
70 leading brands such as Adidas, Aldi Süd, Armedangels, Breuninger, Hugo Boss, Otto, Puma, Tom Tailor and Zalando have gone one step further and signed the Four Paws open letter (“Brand Letter of Intent”) to express their commitment to show that by 2030 we will only source wool from species-appropriate husbandry that avoids this practice. The open letter also calls on the Australian wool industry to meet demand for sheep’s wool without mulesing by this time.
“Together with global fashion brands and consumers, we are calling on global wool supply chains to eliminate mulesing and support manufacturers to transition to blowfly-resistant sheep by 2030. Good breeding decisions and good management can simultaneously end the reliance on mulesing and lead to higher survival rates of lambs and ewes, better pasture conversion, which is also good for the environment, and overall healthier sheep, which in turn leads to an economic benefit, such as many Australian wool producers prove this,” adds Picallo Gil.
What is mulesing?
80 percent of Merino wool for the global fashion market comes from Australia – the only country in the world where mulesing is still practiced. Mulesing involves cutting large strips of skin from the rump of lambs when they are just a few weeks old, usually without adequate pain relief. This causes severe pain, fear and stress to the animals.
“Mulesing is used as a quick and cheap method of preventing blowfly infestations, but alternative methods also exist. Alternative options include breeding sheep that are resistant to blowfly infestations and management that eliminates both blowfly infestations and mulesing,” explains Four Paws.