Animal rights organisation PETA releases findings from animal cruelty investigation on luxury brands
Animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently released the findings of its investigation on animal cruelty done by luxury brands.
The organisation went undercover to examine the raw material providers of brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Turns out, the materials to produce bags, belts and wallets came from snakes and reptiles that were unethically killed and skinned.
PETA went to a slaughterhouse located in Indonesia to investigate this issue. In the report, PETA calls out Gucci for killing lizards in a “violent, inarguably cruel manner” for its accessories.
Conscious lizards are beheaded, while footage shows workers yanking lizards out of sacks and small cages. Their legs have been tied together, which likely causes pain and tissue damage.
According to Dr. Clifford Warwick, a reptile expert who reviewed the footage, decapitating live, conscious reptiles has been recognised as extremely inhumane by major scientific bodies and it is illegal in some parts of the world.
“The film depicts the brutal treatment and killing of lizards using methods that are strongly inconsistent with scientific evidence-based protocols, are contraindicated, are abusive, and are inhumane.”
PETA also released a shocking and upsetting video showcasing the slaughtering process that was done in, again, a slaughterhouse in Indonesia. “These animals endured unspeakable cruelty just so @LVMH—which owns @LouisVuitton and other brands—could continue to sell “luxury” snakeskin bags and wallets,” wrote PETA as the video caption.
With this investigation in hand, PETA urged luxury brands to drop products that are made from exotic animal skins. PETA President Ingrid Newkirk has sent a letter to the luxury brands’ executives. “No bag, belt or wallet is worth such pain and suffering, especially since your designers have access to the most advanced and beautiful leathers,” Newkirk wrote.
In response to the allegations, Gucci parent company Kering provided an official statement to WWD, saying that it has always been committed to respecting the highest standards of animal welfare, sustainability and labour conditions in its sourcing of precious skins.
Kering also said that it launched an internal investigation as soon as it was notified. The company added that if they found a proven connection between the slaughterhouse and their supply chain, they would immediately terminate the business relationship.
“As for the information regarding the mistreatment of lizards in an Indonesian processing facility that was brought to us by PETA, while we have taken these allegations very seriously, there is no evidence that Kering brands are directly or indirectly connected with this facility or those practises,” the company stated.
Louis Vuttion parent company LVMH issued a similar official statement. The statement, however, is not directly linked to the Indonesian slaughterhouse case.
“LVMH respects all views and sensitivities on the use of animal-based raw materials and we support and are actively involved in the sector’s efforts to achieve the best possible practises. Our intention is to provide customers with a product that has been made in the most responsible and ethical manner possible,” the statement read.