Four Paws, a global animal welfare organization, reports that Hugo Boss, a luxury brand, has pledged to phase out mulesed wool by 2025 and be verified as free from it.
German fashion house, Fashion Brands Germany, announced that it will only source pure wool suits made from mulesing-free wool starting in 2025. The company also announced that it will promote the use of mulesing free wool in its entire product line by 2030.
Emily Wilson, Head of Campaigns at Four Paws UK, stated in a statement that “Hugo Boss is one of our most vocal supporters of mulesing free wool for a number years and they will now put their words into action.” We have been able to work together to improve the brand’s overall animal welfare policies.
In an open letter addressed by Four Paws to the Australian wool industry, 35 fashion brands including Calvin Klein and Adidas, have declared that they will only purchase certified mulesing-free wool.
Four Paws stated that it aims to mobilize enough brands to speak out against animal suffering during production and to take the necessary steps to encourage the wool industry, which is largely Australian-based, to stop the cruel practice of mulesing.
Four Paws continues to fight against mulesing
Four Paws recently found that clothing customers are increasingly dissatisfied with animal suffering. One in three consumers now look for animal-friendly certifications when choosing what or where to purchase clothing, compared to the pre-Covid-19 period.
However, despite the growing demand for animal-friendly fashion from consumers, only 32% of British brands use certified wool or down. Only 11 percent of British brands have pledged to reduce their use, while 68 percent use at least one animal-derived material.
Wilson said that consumers are using their wallets more often to express their disgust for animal-derived textiles. We are now encouraging all fashion brands from various sectors to follow Hugo Boss’ lead in eliminating mulesed wool.
“Our research revealed that outdoor brands are opposed to mulesing wool. However, luxury fashion designers are far behind. Hugo Boss is our new ally in the fight to promote more compassion in fashion. We don’t want them being the exception. Instead, Four Paws is asking more brands to stop mulesed wool to save more than ten millions Australian lambs from this outdated and cruel practice.
Australia is the only country where mulesing continues to be practiced. More than 75% of wool exports, and as much as 90% of fine merino wool are currently coming from Australia. Mulesing, a painful procedure that is done on lambs as soon as they are born, involves the removal of large sections of skin from their buttocks to prevent them being infested by blowflies.
