Animal based fibers and materials: production, consumption, enironmental and ethical considerations

Generally speaking, most animal derived materials employ pretty cruel production procedures. For production of some suffering or even death of an animal (or worm in case of silk) is essential. For others, suffering is being induced on living creatures to maximize the profit, as more ethical procedures by and large are bearing higher production costs.
Fortunately, animal based fibers produced in lower quantities then other types are. They account for approximately 1.5-2% of total fiber production which is for the year 2019 equals to around 1.6 Million metric tons. That is not including fur and leather, which are not technically fibers. All animal based fibers and materials (fur and leather) combined constitutes closer to 10 Million metric tons.
Unethical animal treatment, unfortunately, has long historical roots in most cultures and is considered “normal” for most people. This is true for both food and textile industry. Even those people who would agree that this kind of treatment is cruel – frequently in their opinion this what we breed the animals for and they own us that or even that's the reason God created them for in the first place.
History of animal based cloths and associated products goes back thousand of years, especially those made of wool, leather, fur and silk.
Let's look a little closer into a modern production of most common animal derived fabric types out there.

WOOL

Wool is the most used animal based fiber with a market share of almost 1% of total fiber production. Global production of wool is slowly decreasing over the years while alternative plant based and man made products taking it's place.
There are several distinct types of most popular wool: sheep wool, goat wool - cashmere and mohair, angora made of wool rabbits, and more. Most of annually produced wool is used in apparel production for things like sweaters, scarfs and hats. Other common applications are upholstery, blankets and carpets production.
Countries leading in wool production are Australia, China, United States of America and New Zealand. Those four countries combined produce more then 70 percent of world's wool.

Wool processing

The process begins of course with animal upbringing in the farming industry. It doesn't have to involve any cruelty but unfortunately it often does. About once a year when a fleece of an animal grown enough it is cut off in a process called shearing. Animal (most often sheeps or goats) are hang up by their legs on moving conveyor belt and are fleeced one by one. Again, the amount of cruelty in that stage depends on a plant owner. Sheared wool then classified depending on it's characteristics like color, length and so on.
Obtained wool is cleaned sometimes using detergent and other chemicals, dried and then it is ready for spinning into yarn which then is woven or knitted to produce a desired product. Finishing procedures, e.g. dyeing likely implemented on the yarn or wool fabric next.

Ethical and environmental impact of wool

Beside farming and wool harvesting impact on animals, there is a practice of mulesing, when wool together with skin are removed from animal's buttocks area for the purpose of preventing an accumulation of flies in the area which can lead to parasitic infection.
Somewhat positive trend is observed in last decade of replacement of wool relative market share by companies adopting higher ethical standards of animal farming.
Overall, even though wool industry views animals as a commodity and unethical animal treatment are common, wool production doesn't have to operate in cruel and abusive way. Animal's live should and can be made much more tolerable at least.
On environmental front, the contribution of animal farming industry on greenhouse gases emission can not be denied. Other then that, wool as all natural fibers is biodegradable and can sometimes be recycled.

Non- animal derived alternatives

It is relatively easy to find an alternative for wool products. Fabrics made of plant based fibers and also some man made fibers (synthetic or regenerated) are a decent possibility.

SILK

Perhaps the most cruel kind of fiber production is that of silk, as extreme cruelty towards fiber creating creature - the silk worm, lies at it's very core. It is unfortunate that material with such rich history and even meaning for human kind is created in such an abusive way.
The market share of silk production is small, being only around 0.1% of total global fiber production. Three leading countries in silk production are China, India and Uzbekistan, while China and India combined are responsible for over 95% of world's silk fiber production.
Earliest known example of silk fabric dates back more then 5500 years ago. It was developed in ancient China, which remained the only silk manufacturing country for centuries. It was considered very luxurious fabric and was used mostly by world's leaders and the elites.
Silk is very comfortable, durable, strong and absorbent fabric. It possesses the typical shine silk is known and loved for. Fiber is most commonly used for clothing manufacturing, furnishing production and thanks to it's outstanding strength in industrial applications such as parachutes, especially in the first half of previous century before synthetic alternatives became popular.

Production of silk

Silk manufacturing process begins with growing mulberry trees and harvesting their leaves. Silkworms are farmed while they feed on those leaves until they grow to be mature enough to start a metamorphosis to cocoons - silkworms build the cocoons from silk fibers. At this stage the worms inside their cocoons are thrown in boiling water to extract the longest possible undamaged silk fibers.
Fibers of the cocoons are separated from the remains of the worm, sorted and spinned into silk yarns. Then yarns dyed or colored (before or after weaving or knitting) and woven or knitted into a fabric.

Animal cruelty and environmental impact of silk fabric

The amounts of brutality and cruelty imposed upon silk worms during traditional silk harvesting are irrefutable.
Alternative types of fiber production, rare as they may be are by far more humane solution for silk production. For example, ahimsa silk - during this method of production the worm is untouched during it's metamorphosis and the fibers are collected of naturally broken cocoons after the worm completes the transformation to it's moth stage and flies away.
Even recycled silk is lowering an overall cruelty. Both those types of silk are considered inferior in their quality, as fibers are shorter then ones obtained in traditional harvesting procedures.
Silk is a biodegradable material, yet it's environmental impact is quit substantial due to amounts of water, fertilizers, pesticides etc. needed during farming process of leaves produce to feed the worms and potential carbon emission by thousands upon thousands of silk worms.

Cruelty free alternatives to silk

As we've said above, ahimsa silk and recycled silk are fine alternatives. Also there are very good-silk like man made options, both synthetic and regenerated ones. Plant based fabrics are also a great alternative for silk products.

FEATHERS and DOWN

Feathers and down are used in winter clothing, pillows and comforter covers filling and upholstery. Most of world's feathers and down - between 70 to 90 percent, are produced in China. Feathers and down are very profitable byproducts of waterfowl birds in the food industry, grown mostly for their meat, internal organs, eg. liver and eggs.
Vast majority of feathers and down are plucked from bodies of ducks and most of the remainder from geese. Big chunk of feathers and down are plucked from a live birds multiple times during their lifetimes.

Feathers and down harvesting

Feathers and down can be picked from dead bird's bodies after slaughter or from a live birds as frequent as every 1.5 months repeatedly until their death by slaughter or sometimes other unintentional ways. The more fluffy down (and less mature feathers) are in the harvest the higher quality produce it considered to be.
In the post mortem feathers picking, slaughtered body are put in hot water for a couple of minutes and then all feathers and down are plucked either by machines or by hand. Feathers are then dried and ready to be used.

Harvesting from a live birds

The highest market value (meaning produce quality with down and feathers regrowth rate) are found to be by harvest of a chest area of poor bird's body. During female birds egg-laying periods they are not being harvested for feathers. On the other hand males can be subjected to plucking every 6 to 7 weeks.
During the process the bird is held by it's neck and wings while the feathers and down are plucked from their chest area, sometimes using considerable force, despite of bird's attempt to resist as long as they have the strength. Sometimes the skin on bird's chest rips during the process. In that case the wound is simply being sewn with needle.
Link to more detailed description - warning, it won't be easy to read.
It hurts me to say this, but as bad as death for bird's flesh sounds it is less cruel then subjecting the birds repeatedly to this kind of suffering until his or her inevitable death.

Animal cruelty

Animal cruelty situation is bad enough for animals and birds in the food industry, which is the primarily purpose the birds are kept for, but even beside that feather plucking from live birds really is terrible.
Evidence of industry 'covering' the truth regarding the percentages of live birds feather harvesting taking place have been discovered. Real proportions, it seems, is that more then half of all feathers and down are obtained this way.
This awful animal objectification and inhuman treatment must be stopped or at least prevented for the best of our ability as a society and a consumers.

Possible existing alternatives for feathers and down

For all feather and down applications plant based or synthetic alternatives are available. We encourage you to switch to those products and avoid funding this cruel industry. Recycled feather and down seem to be also more ethical alternative to a virgin one.

LEATHER

Leather is very popular material for some types of clothing, footwear, home furnishings, automobile interior and more. Most commonly cow's skin is used as raw material for leather production.
It has been estimated that skins of staggering number of animals exceeding one billion are used for leather.

Uses of leather

Most common usage of leather are in clothing production, in particular jackets, pants, gloves and skirts; footwear - from boots and sandals, to high heels; purses and bags, sporting accessories and more. Leather also can be used for book binding, furniture and car interiors.

Leather from farm animals

Because so many animals are slaughtered for meat production and skin is gathered from an unfit milking cows, the leather frequently considered to be a by-product of anyway killed animals. It is not always the case, even though we consider the fate of farm animals to be terrible by itself. The profit from the skin for leather production is usually incentive enough to kill the animal.
Also, it is known that animals frequently suffer inhuman and abusive treatment, well sometimes, mostly by mistake, animal can be positioned 'wrongly' for slaughter and ends up being skinned alive.
Unfortunately from here on it gets even worst:
- the more soft and valuable leather of a farm animals comes from a new-born, or sometimes even unborn, calves. It is hard to believe that they have 'enough' meat to be slaughtered for it. In this case the kill are most likely made for their high value skins and the meat is a byproduct.
- non farm animals (like lizards, snakes, elephants and alligators) are captured solely for 'exotic' skins for leather production. Some types of animals (lizards, snakes) are deliberately skinned alive for better leather quality which is believed to be obtained in this way (same thing happens in more exclusive fur products of wild animals).
- sometimes cats and dogs are killed and their skin and fur are being marketed as 'normal' cow leather or 'conventional' fur.

Brief description of process after skinning the animal

Later, leather undergo a series of technical processes mainly preparation for tanning. Tanning process is kind of preservation procedure that makes sure the product will not putrefy during it's use. During crusting processes the material is thinned, lubricated and colored using dyes. Then finishing operations are performed in order to give the product it's desired appeal.

Leather and environment

Leather is quit heavily processed using polluting chemicals before getting to the consumer. Combined with other effects of livestock farming industry on the environment or public health issues (excessive use of antibiotics), it has a massive negative environmental impact. Again, we would consider it to be a more 'acceptable' problem in comparison with animal cruelty involved.

Existing alternatives

Alternative materials for similar use are abundant. First, you may consider recycled leather, which is a 'real leather' but requires no additional cruelty. Of course many non animal products exist on the market - plant based or artificial alternatives can be identical in all practical ways to leather and are getting better all the time. Please read our guide for plant based and man made materials.

FUR

Situation is quit similar in fur industry, where in general wild animals are being hunted or sometimes kept in captivity for their fur. In some European countries fur farming is banned. Fur of animals like foxes, rabbits, wolves, raccoons, minks and chinchillas is primarily used for producing products such as winter coats, hats, boots, decorative carpets and more.
Generally, the animal is skinned post mortem. But for some more exclusive types of fur 'harvesting' it is believed that the product quality increases when it obtained from live animal, so the fur is ripped of a living creature while it is alive and fully conscious.
Sometimes animals which are generally considered to be pets, mostly cats and dogs, are killed for their fur, which then is sold as some wild animal fur.
Various synthetic alternatives are available for someone who desire to wear fur-looking clothes that are as warm as fur but without any animal cruelty it bears.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Maybe unsurprisingly, most animal based fabrics and fibers cause unnecessary animal suffering, although in fairness it should be said that some are much more guilty that others. We encourage you to check product labels, seek some additional information if needed and make an informed decisions regarding your purchases. We would love for you to choose to AVOID ANIMAL BASED PRODUCTS AND USE THE ALTERNATIVES in order to cut down animal suffering as much as possible.