Mail-Order Retailer Places Message on Online Catalog: 'Down Is Cruel to Animals'
For Immediate Release:
March 29, 2012
Contact:
Shakira Croce
202-483-7382
Oakland, N.J. — After learning from PETA that many birds used for down have their feathers yanked out of them while they're still alive, top mail-order retailer Haband decided not only to switch to selling only down-free jackets, pillows, and other products but also to place a message on its website explaining why down products are too cruel to sell. In recognition of this compassionate decision, PETA has presented the company with a Proggy Award for Leadership in Ethical Retail. PETA's Proggy Awards ("Proggy" is for "progress") are presented to people, companies, and organizations that exemplify animal-friendly progress in culture and commerce.
"When customers learn that live birds have their feathers violently ripped from their bodies or how the production of down is linked to vile foie gras—they demand feather-free pillows, coats, and comforters," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "PETA applauds Haband for being at the forefront of the movement to oppose tormenting birds for their feathers."
As explained in PETA's video exposé of down production, many birds used for down are plucked repeatedly while they are still alive. The birds are typically lifted by their necks or delicate wings, their legs are physically restrained, and their feathers are ripped out of their skin. The struggling birds are often plucked so hard that their skin is torn open, and the hurried workers sew up the wounds with a needle and thread—and without painkillers.
Buying down can also support the cruelty of the foie gras industry, as producers of foie gras often boost their profits by selling the feathers of the ducks and geese who are force-fed by having tubes rammed down their throats until their livers become diseased and swell to about 10 times their normal size.
Light-weight, machine-washable comforters, sleeping bags, pillows, and coats filled with down-free materials are widely available. Haband offers a wide selection of feather-free items in its catalog.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.