National Polling Shows Fur Is Out of Fashion
By Max Broad
As American consumers become increasingly aware about how their purchases affect the world around them, Washington, D.C., is looking to join a growing list of cities that no longer allow fur sales. A proposed bill in the nation’s capital would address the prolonged confinement and inhumane methods by which animals are killed for fur. This comes on the heels of a growing consumer movement away from fur apparel, including hundreds of fashion brands, such as icons Prada, Ralph Lauren, and Gucci, that have opted out of fur sales. Their main motivation: awareness of the unethical and inhumane conditions in fur farms.
Individuals, Corporations, and Governments Respond to Investigations
Increasing media coverage and investigations have shined a spotlight on inhumane and unsanitary conditions in fur farms, including animals crammed in cages not much larger than their bodies, animals with open wounds, and brutal killing techniques involving electrocution, striking, and neck wringing. Much of the fur industry is characterized by apocalyptic chambers housing millions of animals in extreme confinement, with an estimated 85 percent of all fur being produced in these farms. The vast majority of fur products come from China, where there are no laws protecting animals on fur farms, according to the Humane Society of the United States. As one might expect, undercover investigations have exposed unthinkable harms for animals confined in Chinese farms. This affects millions of mink, rabbits, foxes, and other species. But the conditions are not much better in the U.S., which similarly industrializes fur farming on a mammoth scale. Despite the consumer shift away from fur, there is still enough demand driving over 3 million animals in the U.S. to spend their lives in wire-bottomed cages before they are killed in utterly inhumane ways.
Voters are ready for change when it comes to ending the practice of confining animals on farms for the purpose of using their fur for clothing and accessories, however. Recent Data for Progress polling shows that almost two-thirds of likely voters, including 71 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of Independents and over half of Republicans, want to ban the practice of raising animals solely for fur production.
With the industry rapidly waning in popularity, policy-makers are implementing protections for animals that have long been tormented on factory farms. Public sentiment has driven 11 cities across the U.S. to ban new fur sales. Even over the past two years as the pandemic was at the forefront of U.S. political priorities, the city council of Ann Arbor, Mich., passed a law ceasing fur sales and the voters of Boulder, Colo., self-imposed a fur ban via ballot measure.
Momentum is building beyond the local level, too. California became the first state (2019) and Israel the first country (2021) to pass fur sales bans.
The proposed bill in D.C. would mirror other laws that require stores to stop selling fur unless the item is secondhand or it is used for religious purposes.
Public opinion has backed these new policies as voters across the country are indicating that they would support their city passing a law to ban sales of new fur clothing and accessories. Nearly two-thirds of likely voters support this idea, including over three-quarters of Democrats, and a majority of both Independents and Republicans.
Dissenters to the bans raise a litany of issues, often backed or fomented by the fur industry itself. Some will say that animal fur’s use of natural fibers is superior to the synthetic alternative. While that’s a false trade-off (nobody is forced to buy fur of any variety), animal fur production involves significant chemical preservatives. This not only exposes the wearer to toxins but also pollutes our air and waterways, posing risks to both human and animal health alike. Fur is also the biggest carbon polluter of any design material; its environmental impact is five times larger than that of wool, the next biggest polluter. The high carbon footprint comes from the large share of carnivores who are made into fur products; meat on average has a much higher carbon footprint than plant-based foods. In prior efforts to pass legislation on fur, right-wing and libertarian lobby groups have promoted the freedom of choice message by paying students to attend public hearings to misrepresent opposition.
Taking a Stand in the Nation’s Capital
From major fashion retailers to some of the nation’s largest cities, there is a movement to finally end the suffering caused by the fur industry. These developments reflect consumer and voter demand — more and more people are aware of the cruelty inherent in fur production and want to do something about it. In D.C. this issue has come to a decision point, and the city council can decide whether to enact widely popular fur bans, or continue enabling a cruel and outdated practice.
Max Broad is the founder of DC Voters for Animals. DCVFA lifts up the policies and politicians doing the most for all animals, whether companion animals such as dogs and cats, animals in farms or labs, or wildlife.
Survey Methodology