IMPACT
The Burden of Luxury Fashion on Animals
Document Type
Presentation
Type
Information Motivating Public Activism (IMPACT)
UN Sustainable Development Goal
UNSDG #12: Responsible Consumption and Reduction
Start Date
28-4-2021 9:40 AM
End Date
28-4-2021 10:00 AM
Abstract
Luxury fashion is both an incredibly lucrative and global business. While high-end designers and consumers benefit socially and economically, the animals and ecosystems that contribute to the production process are being irreversibly harmed, and consumers are usually unaware. The use of animal products in consumer goods is harmful in itself, but many luxury brands acquire these animal products illegally and go out of their way to tag articles as “sustainably produced.” Furthermore, many animals used in luxury fashion are on the endangered species list. The unlawful acquisition of which harms ecosystems and societies around the world. Many of these animals are kept in inhumane conditions. This issue is not one of particular brands, but a system that has been designed to value economic gain for life. Fashion brands are not held accountable for their detrimental actions. Companies steer clear of consequences and bad press as a result of lack of social awareness surrounding these issues, transparency within the company, and policing and policy to regulate the industry. The UN goals “Life on Land” and “Responsible Consumption and Production” directly address these issues by discussing the complexity of influences that end with the unethical use of animal products. A possible solution would be the implementation of education surrounding the fashion production process and an ecosystems relationship to it. Another might be increased regulatory policies for the industry and finally, increasing social awareness and transparency so the Crocodile Boots don’t look as luxurious as they do inhumanely, unsustainability, and unlawfully produced.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
The Burden of Luxury Fashion on Animals
Luxury fashion is both an incredibly lucrative and global business. While high-end designers and consumers benefit socially and economically, the animals and ecosystems that contribute to the production process are being irreversibly harmed, and consumers are usually unaware. The use of animal products in consumer goods is harmful in itself, but many luxury brands acquire these animal products illegally and go out of their way to tag articles as “sustainably produced.” Furthermore, many animals used in luxury fashion are on the endangered species list. The unlawful acquisition of which harms ecosystems and societies around the world. Many of these animals are kept in inhumane conditions. This issue is not one of particular brands, but a system that has been designed to value economic gain for life. Fashion brands are not held accountable for their detrimental actions. Companies steer clear of consequences and bad press as a result of lack of social awareness surrounding these issues, transparency within the company, and policing and policy to regulate the industry. The UN goals “Life on Land” and “Responsible Consumption and Production” directly address these issues by discussing the complexity of influences that end with the unethical use of animal products. A possible solution would be the implementation of education surrounding the fashion production process and an ecosystems relationship to it. Another might be increased regulatory policies for the industry and finally, increasing social awareness and transparency so the Crocodile Boots don’t look as luxurious as they do inhumanely, unsustainability, and unlawfully produced.