Sarah J. Blige

Origin Assured label furs claim to be a "responsible" and "ethical" choice, but nothing could be further from the truth.

I was flipping through the October issue of VOGUE when I came across a four-page ad for Origin Assured (OA) label furs, complete with cheesy slogans like “LABEL ME fabulous” and misleading claims from fashion designers, such as Roberto Cavalli’s “The OA label assures customers that they are making a stylish, responsible choice.”

The OA label claims these furs come from a “well-regulated industry that adheres to strict animal standards.” Funny that this campaign, if I may call it that, is the brainchild of none other than the International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF) and its industry partners. The IFTF professes OA was born of a “desire to heighten awareness about ethically sourced fur,” but I say this is a slimy, ill-intentioned ploy to trick caring but generally naive consumers into feeling good about supporting an unethical product.

The Origin Assured label claims to assure customers the fur they’ve purchased comes from a country where national or local fur production regulations are in place.  But how can we trust an organization with its sole interest in making a buck to be completely honest about the origin of the fur its promoting? The international auction houses that sell the majority of the world’s fur (and who are in collaboration with the IFTF) are responsible for sorting, invoicing and labeling furs with the OA mark. Wouldn’t it be extremely easy to simply slip the OA label on a dog fur coat from China?

Okay, so let’s give these noble furriers the benefit of the doubt for a moment, and say all of the furs marked with the OA label really have come from responsible countries concerned with animal welfare. Like here in the Great White North, for example, the leading producer of seal pelts, where newborn seals are routinely hooked in the eye and dragged across the ice squirming and squealing, then beaten senseless until they’re dead enough to be skinned. Or in Japan, where thousands of dolphins and whales are killed every year, either by being barbarically harpooned or having their throats slashed with large knives. Or perhaps in the United States, where millions of historically wild animals (mink, for example) are kept in tiny, unsanitary cages on fur farms, literally going mad in captivity and resorting to self-mutilation and even cannibalism.  Even Hong Kong Fur Factory Ltd., which lists China United Fur Industrial Ltd. as one of its subsidiary companies made its way onto the list of OA approved manufactures. Curious, says me.

An injured fox suffers in his cage

The fur trade rakes in an estimated $15,000,000,000 annually, all stemming from the cruel slaughter of 50 million animals worldwide. What you can be assured of is that the IFTF is keen on keeping profits up and will tell consumers whatever they need to hear in order to ensure that happens. Don’t believe everything you read. There is nothing “ethical”, “humane”, or “responsible” about the fur trade. Spin doctors will weave a wild web of lies and only need you to perpetuate their agenda.

Learn the facts at PETA’s media center. To see a full list of designers who use fur in their lines (and avoid their clothing at all costs), visit http://www.fur-style.com/en/designers/?pagination=5&cHash=f076441d4b.