PETA urges H&M to reveal down suppliers

In response to allegations that a former duck down supplier employed harsh techniques of duck slaughter, the animal advocacy group PETA has requested that the Swedish clothing retailer H&M publish a report outlining its duck down sourcing practices.

On 9th March, PETA sent a shareholder resolution to the H&M Group requesting that the board of directors create a report on the slaughter procedures used to obtain down for the business.

According to PETA, the action was taken in response to a recent PETA Asia investigation, which discovered that a Vietnamese company that had previously provided ducks to H&M did not slaughter the birds in a humane manner.

PETA insists H&M provides no information about the farms and slaughterhouses that supply down for its products and states this absolutely debunks its own false comments that it has prioritized both traceability and transparency throughout supply chains.

Moreover, PETA criticizes the Textile Exchange’s Responsible Down Standard, saying: “The resolution draws attention to the fact that H&M bases its claims on animal welfare on the Textile Exchange’s clearly ineffectual Responsible Down Standard (RDS). Nonetheless, it started removing the RDS designation from its online products recently, demonstrating that it is aware that the RDS is a fraud.

Animal welfare is very important to the H&M Group, according to a company representative. They applaud PETA’s dedication to this cause and their efforts to expose unacceptable ethical lapses in their sector, which eventually contribute to raising industry standards and practices regarding animal care. Developments and implementations in many locales and circumstances offer helpful insights on where to improve and evolve, just like with any system of industry standards.

Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of PETA, said that H&M should jump at PETA’s proposal that it hold a microscope up to its supply chain to verify just that. H&M states that no animals should be mistreated for their clothes.

The official resolution that was submitted to H&M Group’s board which read that given the egregious cruelty to birds and violations of so-called “responsible” animal welfare standards and national laws that are endemic to the down industry, the Board is strongly encouraged to prepare a report on the slaughter methods used to procure down for H&M.

The report concludes that given the failures in compliance with animal welfare laws across the down industry, it is reasonable for shareholders to demand that H&M provide a report on the slaughter methods used to procure it’s down to ensure that its sourcing complies with all relevant animal welfare laws and standards. Thus, they urge all shareholders to approve this morally and financially sound resolution.