Which animals pay for our clothes?

26 August 2026

Why is fashion finally starting to change?

By the ACTAsia team · Reviewed by our Compassion in Fashion programme staff · Updated 15 June 2026. Through Compassion in Fashion, ACTAsia works with designers, students and shoppers across Asia on cruelty-free clothing.

Fashion relies on animals for fur, leather, wool, silk, down and exotic skins, and welfare standards behind these materials are often poor. The picture is changing fast: Poland, Europe’s largest fur producer, banned fur farming in December 2025, and New York Fashion Week goes fur-free from September 2026. Fur is the clearest case for concern, with growing scrutiny of wool and leather too.

The hidden animals in our wardrobes

Most of us rarely think about the animals behind our clothes. Yet a great deal of fashion begins with a living creature: mink and foxes for fur, cattle for leather, sheep for wool, silkworms for silk, geese and ducks for down, and reptiles for exotic skins. Each carries its own welfare questions, and for a long time those questions went almost entirely unasked.

That is starting to change, and quickly. A wave of bans and corporate commitments over the last few years has moved animal welfare from the margins of fashion to the centre of its sustainability debate. Understanding which materials raise the most serious concerns helps anyone shop more kindly.

Fur: the clearest case

Fur is where the welfare and environmental arguments meet most sharply. Animals are kept for their whole lives in small wire cages, and in 2025 the European Food Safety Authority concluded that suffering is systemic on fur farms, and that lifelong confinement in small barren cages cannot meet animals’ basic welfare needs. On the environmental side, independent life-cycle research found mink fur scored worse than cotton, polyester, wool and acrylic on 17 of 18 measures (CE Delft).

The response has been striking. In December 2025, Poland, Europe’s largest and the world’s second-largest fur producer, banned fur farming, becoming the 18th European Union country to do so. Norway’s last fur farms closed in early 2025. On the catwalk, New York Fashion Week will be fur-free from September 2026, and major publishers including Hearst have dropped fur from their pages. Momentum is clearly moving one way.

Beyond fur: wool, leather and more

Fur draws the most attention, but it is not the only concern, and honesty means acknowledging the others.

Wool. Sheep farming is less intensive than fur, but specific practices raise welfare issues, most notably mulesing, the cutting of skin from live lambs to prevent flystrike. In 2025, the animal-welfare group Four Paws united around 100 brands calling on Australia’s wool industry to end the practice.

Leather. Leather links fashion directly to animal agriculture and its slaughter, and tanning also carries a heavy chemical footprint. Exotic skins draw particular concern: in early 2025, India banned the import of reptile skins and certain furs following evidence of extreme suffering.

Silk and down. Both raise welfare questions too, from how silkworms are treated to concerns about live-plucking of feathers, which responsible-down standards aim to prevent.

Materials and welfare, at a glance

Why Asia is central to this story

Asia is at the heart of the global fur and fashion trade, both as a major producer and a fast-growing market. China remains the world’s largest fur producer, and demand across Asia has risen over the years, with US fur exports to Asia growing from around 22% of the total in 1998 to 47% by 2002. Where demand grows, the industry follows, which is why consumer education in the region is so powerful.

This is exactly where ACTAsia’s Compassion in Fashion programme works, helping designers, students and shoppers understand the true cost of animal materials and choose kinder alternatives. Bans and corporate pledges matter, but lasting change also needs shoppers who simply no longer want cruelty in their wardrobes. ACTAsia’s analysis finds a pound or dollar goes around three times as far in Asia as in the West (Grant C., 2024).

Frequently asked questions

Which animals are used in the fashion industry?

Fashion uses animals for fur (mink, fox), leather (mainly cattle), wool (sheep), silk (silkworms), down (geese and ducks) and exotic skins (reptiles). Each raises its own welfare concerns, with fur and exotic skins generally considered the most serious.

Why is fur considered cruel?

Animals on fur farms are kept for their whole lives in small wire cages. In 2025 the European Food Safety Authority concluded that suffering is systemic on fur farms and that such confinement cannot meet basic welfare needs, which has driven a wave of national bans.

Is the fashion industry banning fur?

Increasingly, yes. Poland, Europe’s largest fur producer, banned fur farming in December 2025, becoming the 18th EU country to do so, and New York Fashion Week goes fur-free from September 2026. Many brands and publishers have also dropped fur.

Is wool or leather cruelty-free?

Not automatically. Wool can involve mulesing, the cutting of skin from live lambs, and leather links directly to slaughter and heavy tanning chemicals. Certified non-mulesed wool and reducing leather, or choosing plant-based alternatives, are kinder options.

How can I shop more ethically for animals?

Avoid fur and exotic skins, reduce leather and choose certified non-mulesed wool or responsible down where you buy animal materials. Most powerfully, buy less and keep clothes longer, since overproduction drives much of the harm.

Education is urgent, and behaviour is learnt. Fashion is changing because people are learning what their clothes cost, and choosing differently. Support cruelty-free fashion education.