Speak out to help end the suffering of ducks and geese, whose feathers are often ripped out to produce down-filled items.
After we revealed the intense cruelty of the international down industry, many well-known brands – from Primark to Hobbs – have promised to stop selling items stuffed with feathers from ducks and geese.
Eighty per cent of the world’s down is produced in China, where there are hardly any laws to protect animals. Ending the demand for this unethical product is the best way to stop birds from being abused on Chinese farms. Please help us persuade even more retailers to go down-free!
When you’re out shopping, keep your eyes peeled for any items on sale that are filled with down feathers, such as jackets, pillows, duvets, and sleeping bags.
If you spot any down products, here’s what to do:
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Speak to a staff member in the store.
Explain how disappointed you are to see down on sale, and ask him or her to pass your comments on to their manager.
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Send the company an e-mail or a letter.
Below is some suggested text that you can use as a template.
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Leave a message on the company’s social media pages.
Share our down video on its Facebook page or send it a tweet about how wrong it is to abuse birds for their feathers.
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Make a polite phone call to the company’s head office.
Let officials know that you won’t be shopping at their store until they introduce a down-free policy, just as Topshop, Warehouse, and many others have done.
If you receive a response from the company, please let us know by dropping us a line at [email protected].
We know that putting pressure on companies in this way really works – for example, more than 100 brands stopped selling angora wool because of feedback from customers who were outraged that rabbits’ fur is ripped out to produce it. With your help, we can achieve the same change for the ducks and geese who are being abused for down!
Dear Sir or Madam,
I’m contacting you because I was recently shopping at your store in [location of store/online] and was disappointed to see that you’re selling [name of item (eg, jackets, pillows)] stuffed with down feathers.
In the global down industry, feathers are often ripped out of struggling geese while they’re fully conscious, leaving open, bloody wounds. A recent PETA exposé revealed that even so-called “responsibly sourced” down may be produced in this way. Given this cruelty, the only ethical policy is to stop selling down-filled items altogether.
Topshop, Warehouse, Primark, Whistles, and many other retailers have already made the compassionate decision to ditch down. Please, will [Name of Company] commit to doing the same? Until this happens, I will no longer be purchasing your products.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]