PETA US Launches Global $1 Million Vegan Wool Challenge

London – Determined to save sheep and incentivise clothing designers, PETA US has launched the Vegan Wool Challenge, which will award US$1 million (approximately £850,600) to the first entrant who develops a vegan wool material that’s visually, texturally, and functionally akin or superior to sheep’s wool and is adopted and sold by a major clothing brand. This opportunity is open to applicants worldwide.

“From flowers and fruit to hemp and soya beans,  options are limitless when it comes to creating animal-free clothing and accessories,” says PETA Vice President for Europe Mimi Bekhechi. “PETA is delighted to foster innovation that will help protect animals and halt the environmental destruction caused by animal agriculture.”

PETA entities have documented cruelty to sheep in 117 wool operations worldwide, revealed in 15 exposés that found that even on farms marketed as “sustainable” and “responsible”, workers beat, stamped on, cut up, and slit the throats of conscious, struggling sheep. While there are many durable, stylish, and warm materials available that aren’t made from animal-derived materials, the creation of a viable, sustainable vegan wool could help abate suffering and fight the climate catastrophe – as the wool industry produces massive amounts of methane, erodes soil, and contaminates waterways.

The tide is turning against animal-derived materials, and people – especially young consumers – now object in droves to supporting industries predicated on animal exploitation and slaughter. A recent survey by Glamour magazine found that approximately 73% of Gen Z identifies as animal rights activists.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Contact:

Sascha Camilli +44 (0) 20 7923 6244; [email protected]

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