Cashmere Abuse: PETA Interrupts Burberry’s Annual Meeting
Two PETA supporters disrupted the company’s annual meeting to call attention to the rampant cruelty inherent in the cashmere industry. The activists stood behind the startled board members holding signs that read, “Burberry: Cashmere Is Bloody Cruel,” until security escorted them off the premises.
🚨 Breaking: PETA activists stormed @Burberry‘s annual meeting to protest the cruelty behind cashmere 👀 #CashmereCruelty 🐐 pic.twitter.com/Egz08S9dt8
— PETA UK (@PETAUK) July 16, 2024
The Cashmere Industry
Each fibre of a cashmere scarf was torn from a terrified goat who screamed as their hair was ripped out, just for an accessory.
A PETA Asia investigation into cashmere operations in Mongolia – including one with ties to Burberry – revealed goats screaming in pain and fear as workers pinned them down by their legs and horns and ripped out their hair, often tearing off pieces of their skin along with it. A worker was seen using an unsterilised knife to cut open kids’ scrotums and pulling out their testicles with his bare hands, all without pain relief. Goats were left to suffer from bleeding wounds, and the bodies of dead animals were found on site, including kids who likely died from cold and hunger.
When the goats’ hair production slows, they’re sold off to be slaughtered at abattoirs, where workers bash them on the head with a hammer and cut their throat. A year after the investigation was shared with the brand, and despite Burberry’s claim to “never knowingly source raw materials if there have been any concerns over animal welfare”, the company continues to sell cashmere – more than 200 items made from the cruelly obtained material are currently listed on its website.
Environmental Impacts of Cashmere
In 2021, the company reported that a biodiversity baseline assessment revealed that its use of “leather, cashmere and wool have the most significant impact on biodiversity as well as accounting for a high proportion of Burberry’s carbon footprint”. PETA supporters have disrupted Burberry fashion shows twice since last autumn to call on the industry titan to switch to plant wools and vegan leather.
PETA is calling on Burberry to stop turning a blind eye to goats’ suffering and ditch cashmere immediately – join us:
