HSUS exposé compels Govt to take fashion sector to task
24 Feb '07
5 min read
Legislation Introduced to Protect Consumers and Dogs with Proper Labeling of Fur-Trimmed Garments
The Humane Society of the United States urged speedy passage of a bill to require honest labeling of fur and to bar the import of a dog species from China, so that dogs are not killed to make fashion garments passed off as harmless 'faux fur'. The legislation was introduced today on the heels of an ongoing HSUS investigation exposing the widespread scandal in the fashion industry.
A team of HSUS investigators found a proliferation of falsely labeled and falsely advertised dog fur on fashion clothing sold by some of the largest names in U.S. retailing. Of the fur-trimmed jackets subjected to mass spectrometry testing by The HSUS, 96 percent were found to be domestic dog, wolf or raccoon dog, and either mislabeled or not labeled at all. The raccoon dog is a member of the dog family with markings resembling those of a raccoon, known to be skinned alive for fur in China.
Nordstrom's, Tommy Hilfiger and Bluefly.com advertised jackets trimmed with fur from domestic dog as "faux," The HSUS discovered. The dog fur appeared as trim on the hoods of coats from popular brands such as Joie, Tommy Hilfiger and Andrew Marc. Additionally, The HSUS revealed that J.C. Penney was selling raccoon dog fur mislabeled as raccoon. The retailer pulled the garments, blacked out the nameof the species from the label and returned the coats to the floor to be sold.
marketing@alchempro.com
