FOUR PAWS
FOUR PAWS and British newspaper “The Sunday Times†have exposed that The North Face is using feathers from force fed grey down geese in their clothes. Celebrities such Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Anne Hathaway and Renee Zellweger wear clothes made by “The North Faceâ€. Four Paws is calling on celebrities and consumers to avoid buying clothes from The North Face until the company stops using down which involves animal cruelty.
After pressure from FOUR PAWS, clothing company “Patagonia†admitted a problem with their down, now outdoor clothing giant “The North Face†has admitted, what they had denied for years. Confronted with evidence from FOUR PAWS investigators, they confirmed the ugly truth about their down. Grey down geese used in their jackets and sleeping bags is sourced from the force feeding industry. The down from the hungarian force fed geese, mostly kept in small cages is cheap. Companies can make large profits out of expensively priced clothing that is masquerading as eco-friendlyâ€.
Across the EU most countries have banned force feeding of birds. In California, the home of “The North Face” even the sale of fatty goose liver called foie gras, as well as the force feeding of geese is banned by law. However, the production of the liver itself is only part of the profit of this trade in animal suffering. The grey down used increases the profit by up to 15% per goose. “The North Face†had assured its customers for years that it did not use down from force feeding. The truth is different: North Face is using down from Hungary. It is not a big secret what grey down is bred for in Hungary.
“White goose is for meat and kept free-range, while the grey goose mostly ends up in small cages and is force fed three times a day until they can take no more.” said Marcus Müller, FOUR PAWS campaigner. “The North Face committed itself for many years
not to use feathers from live plucked geese. Clearly this barbarian method of obtaining down for jackets and sleeping bags is still being practiced widely in Hungaryâ€, added Muller. This is a common practise in the hungarian foie gras industry. Northface’s incorrect statements regarding force feeding raise the question as to how true and credible their statements on live plucking are.
The use of down from force feeding factory farms raises a huge question mark on the promises on traceability, consumer protection and green sourcing.
“Companies speak about their environmental footprint but some are using down that harms the environment, wastes water and other resources. This irresponsible policy shows the real face of this outdoor clothing company. To profit from animal cruelty is wrong. We are sure that celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Anne Hathaway and Renee Zellweger have no idea about the cruelty involved in the clothes they are wearing. We hope these celebrity role models will take action to convince The North Face to stop making money from animal cruelty” concludes Müller.
FOUR PAWS is demanding clothing giants “The North Face†and “Patagonia†completely stop using grey down in their clothes and that the labeling of the clothes on the shelves reflects this. FOUR PAWS also wants the companies to clearly label the products with down from animal cruelty that are on the shelves now.