Happy Birthday, Kate! What Gift Did PETA Send the Duchess of Cambridge?
In honour of the Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday on 9 January, PETA is sending her a bag from French eco-fashion brand Ashoka, one of the winners of the 2019 PETA Fashion Awards for its planet-friendly accessories.
The gift follows the launch of the Earthshot Prize, the initiative by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to encourage the development of solutions to the climate crisis – an urgent problem to which the animal-leather industry is a big contributor.
PETA hopes the gift will encourage the Duchess to make conscious, animal-friendly choices in her wardrobe – and prompt her many admirers to do the same.
The bag is made from apple leather – an eco-friendly, 100% vegan material derived from apple skins. This innovative fabric, which is created by recycling food waste, has a much lower environmental impact than animal leather.
The Leather Industry Is Fuelling the Climate Crisis
As the Australian bush burns, many people are blaming climate change for exacerbating the wildfires. But what fuels the climate crisis itself? According to the United Nations, animal agriculture is responsible for a greater proportion of global greenhouse-gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined.
The leather industry has a devastating impact on the Earth, from the carbon emissions produced by raising cows, sheep, and other animals to the toxic tanneries that pollute nearby waterways and expose workers to excessive amounts of chemicals, including arsenic.
Industry reports have found that leather is the most polluting material in the fashion industry.
Cows Deserve Better
Cows raised for their skin endure castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning before being skinned and dismembered, sometimes while they’re still conscious.
Eyewitness footage shot on Brazilian ranches gives a glimpse of the terror and pain inflicted on cows as they’re killed for their skin and flesh:
Want to Fight the Climate Crisis and Help Cows? Choose Vegan Fashion!
Vegan accessories in materials like apple leather are kind to the planet and animals. Never buy, wear, or use any items made with animal leather. Check out our list of companies using the “PETA-Approved Vegan” logo to find fashionable animal-free brands and products:
Please also urge the British Fashion Council, organiser of London Fashion Week, to introduce a ban on leather and fur at all its events:
