Stop "Coats Made by Plucking Fur from Live Animals"... How About "Kind Padding"? [Kim Suwan's Animal Report]

Padding Jumper Made by Plucking Feathers from Live Geese and Ducks Sparks Animal Cruelty Controversy
Animal Protection Group "Clear Animal Abuse, Fur and Down Products Must Be Phased Out"

As awareness of environmental and animal protection grows, "eco-friendly padding" produced in accordance with animal ethics is gaining popularity. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] "We must also consider animal ethics.", "Do we really have to wear clothes made by abusing animals?"

As the number of people raising pets such as dogs and cats has recently increased, awareness of animal rights is also rising. Especially in winter, there is an active movement against wearing fur coats or jumpers made from duck or goose down. These garments involve horrific animal abuse at a torture level during the process of obtaining the fur.

As a result, interest in eco-friendly padding made from recycled materials without abuse or exploitation is growing. Animal protection organizations have called for the elimination of such products, stating that plucking feathers from live geese or ducks is clear animal abuse.

Goose and duck down padding made from the soft feathers on the neck, chest, and armpit areas is known to be lighter and much more heat-retentive than other fillers. Because of this, it is used not only for winter outerwear but also as filling for products such as blankets and pillows.

However, padding made from these animal feathers faces criticism for animal abuse. There are concerns that unethical methods are used during the manufacturing process.

In fact, to obtain goose and duck down, a method called 'live plucking' is used, which forcibly pulls feathers from live animals without anesthesia or any other measures.

Since there are limitations to collecting feathers from dead ducks or geese and the quality of the fur is damaged, most feathers are plucked from live animals. In particular, this process often involves tearing the skin and even sewing the raw flesh back together.

The breast feathers and wing feathers of the goose have all been plucked. Photo by PETA, an international animal protection organization, official YouTube screen capture.

According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), a global animal protection organization, geese and ducks can have their feathers plucked up to 15 times before slaughter. Also, because feathers are plucked while the animals are alive to obtain high-quality down, they inevitably endure a painful process. Currently, 15 to 20 geese and ducks are sacrificed for each down padding.

PETA explained, "Millions of geese and ducks have their feathers plucked until they bleed," and "Most geese have their feathers plucked more than ten times until just before slaughter."

Given this situation, the fashion industry is seeing a trend toward so-called 'ethical padding' that respects animal ethics.

The range of product choices is expanding to include 'Responsible Down Standard' (RDS) products produced ethically without animal abuse such as live feather plucking or force-feeding, as well as 'vegan padding' made from new materials.

While vegan originally refers to strict vegetarians who eat nothing but plant-based foods, recently it has come to include lifestyles that avoid animal-derived ingredients or products tested on animals due to growing interest in animal ethics.

As an alternative, padding filled with artificial materials such as polyester fiber, Thinsulate, and Wellon is gaining popularity. Among these, Wellon, which is similar to goose down, is attracting attention as a padding filler due to its high heat retention and lower risk of causing feather allergies.

Moreover, fashion brands are launching upcycled down products in line with the social trend toward ethical and eco-friendly consumption. Upcycled down refers to reusing duck or goose feathers collected from discarded padding, unused pillows, blankets, etc., after going through washing and sterilization processes.

Animal protection groups such as Citizens' Coalition for a Vegan World and Korea Animal Protection Alliance held a press conference on the afternoon of the 27th of last month at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul opposing fur and down. They stated, "Every year, 100 million wild animals worldwide are sacrificed for fur, and ducks and geese have their feathers plucked alive every three months for down products, among other unethical production methods," urging the elimination of fur and down products.