More than 120 brands have pledged to go fur-free in China

19 August 2026

As part of our 20^th anniversary, we are looking at 20 Years, 20 Wins. These are the milestones that demonstrate what two decades of work for animals, people and the planet really add up to. Our ninth win is a market win: more than 120 fashion brands in China have now pledged, through ACTAsia, never to use real fur.  #9 of 20

120+ decisions to break with the norm

Compassion in Fashion is ACTAsia’s programme for shifting the fashion industry away from fur, working directly with designers, retailers and consumers rather than campaigning from the outside. ACTAsia’s Fur Free project is run in conjunction with the Fur Free Retailer (FFR) scheme: a public pledge that commits a brand, in writing, to never use, sell or promote animal fur. 

ACTAsia has been the China representative for the Fur Free Retailer scheme since 2012 and has recruited more than 120 brands to pledge fur-free. China is the world’s biggest producer and consumer of animal fur products, which makes it one of the hardest markets to move. The 120+ figure points to a decade of consistent work; there was no existing fur-free habit to build on, and no local precedent to point to. ACTAsia has built a burgeoning fur-free culture in China, through direct outreach to designers and retailers, its own Fur Free and Sustainable Fashion Festival and steady presence at fashion weeks in China. Getting past 120 committed brands represents more than 120 individual decisions to break with the norm, in the market where fur is most normalised. 

The FFR program connects the ever-growing consumer demand for ethical products into a public standard that brands are held to. Once a brand signs the fur-free pledge, it goes on an internationally public, checkable list, joining names such as Hugo Boss, Armani and Gucci. 

With often complex and less-than-transparent supply chains, a verified Fur Free logo makes the pledge conspicuous not only to shoppers, but other major fashion brands too. The 120+ pledges ACTAsia has procured in China is situated within a greater 1600+ retailers who have pledged fur free internationally. 

Wins within the win: Ed Hardy China & more 

Ed Hardy China had built its name on fur trims and details for years. It is a brand many readers outside China will already know, built on the tattoo-and-retro-punk designs of American artist Don Ed Hardy. In 2024, working with ACTAsia, it pledged to stop, announcing at the Compassion in Fashion Forum during Shenzhen Fashion Week forum that it would no longer use, sell or promote animal fur. For a brand with this global recognition to make such a statement – pledging to drop fur during fashion week – is something that other major brands in the fashion industry saw happen. It is these kinds of influential changes that makes the 120+ figure such a significant win. 

Beyond this, the list spans the rest of the industry,  from independent design houses like TUYUE, which built its identity around fur-free design from the start, to established names like ICICLE, which pledged back in 2019, well ahead of the wider industry, to Les Enfants, the first maternity and childrenswear brand in China to sign.

What’s next

The China list keeps growing every year, and ACTAsia keeps working to add the next major name to it. If you are a consumer, you can back that work by signing ACTAsia’s Fur Free Pledge and choosing fur-free brands when you shop. If you are in the fashion industry, ACTAsia’s Fur Free team can talk you through what joining the scheme involves.

20 Years, 20 Wins 

If you would like to support compassionate education and the fur free movement, learn how you can get involved and consider donating today. 

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