Animal rights activists held a striking demonstration at London Fashion Week in which protesters poured buckets of black “toxic slime” over their heads.
The action by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) aimed to raise awareness of the hazardous waste associated with the leather industry. Signs on buckets of slime read “Leather Is a Dirty Business” and “Dump Leather.”
“No one needs cow skin except the gentle animals who were born in it,” PETA Director Elisa Allen said in a statement sent to Totally Vegan Buzz.
“PETA is calling on London Fashion Week to protect animals and the planet by kicking cruel, toxic leather off the catwalk. Consumers can help, too, by giving animal leather the boot.”
More than a billion animals are killed for leather each year. Animal agriculture – which includes the leather industry – is responsible for nearly a fifth of human-induced greenhouse-gas emissions and is devastating the planet.
More than 90% of the Amazon rainforest that’s been cleared since 1970 is used for grazing or for growing food for cattle – including those used for leather.
The 2017 “Pulse of the Fashion Industry” report found leather to be the most polluting material used for clothing.
A PETA exposé narrated by Leona Lewis shows how tanneries use toxic chemicals to prevent animals’ skin from decaying.
Unprotected workers, including children, stand barefoot as they soak hides in carcinogenic chemicals. The noxious waste is then dumped into the river.
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear” – notes that Helsinki Fashion Week has banned leather, encouraging designers to focus instead on superior vegan leathers, which include those made from microfibres, Ultrasuede, recycled polyurethane, pineapple leaves (Piñatex), mushrooms, and wine grapes (Vegea).
What do you think of PETA’s protest? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
81% of military personnel want plant-based meals, new survey reveals
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 27th June 2022
“As the US military continues to seek ways to best support the overall health and diverse needs of its loyal service members, we’re calling on lawmakers to require all branches of the military to provide plant-based MRE options.” The majority of US military members want vegan Meals, Ready to Eat (MRE), according to a new …
Continue reading “81% of military personnel want plant-based meals, new survey reveals”
One more vegan ad banned this week – this time for showing animals in distress
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 9th June 2022
The watchdog banned ads by Vegan Friendly UK and Tesco amid claims of gratuitous violence and misleading information. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned one more vegan TV ad this week over claims that it shows “graphic imagery and gratuitous violence” towards animals. This censure comes on the heels of the UK watchdog banning …
Continue reading “One more vegan ad banned this week – this time for showing animals in distress”
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
Continue reading “QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert”
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
Continue reading “QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?”
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …