A fur processing company is set to begin manufacturing the world’s first fur-free cosmetics, a product that aims to improve the lives of animals and reduce the demand for fur by offering a “more humane” alternative to traditional products.
The company, Animal Protection, will open its first UK production plant in September.
The plant will be located in the northern city of Luton and the new manufacturing facility will produce “a range of innovative cosmetics, ranging from moisturizers, facial masks, face wash, hair removers and even toothpaste”, according to its website.
It will be a small but important step towards a more humane and ethical future.
The move will see the company join the ranks of major cosmetics companies including Burt’s Bees, CeraVe and others, which have already made animal-friendly products such as their products with zero animal ingredients.
The news comes as animal rights activists worldwide have rallied around the launch of a global campaign called “Fur is the future”, calling for the production of animal-free products to be banned as soon as possible.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the environmental and health consequences of the industry, which accounts for approximately 90% of the global fur trade.
The campaigners are urging consumers to buy only products that are made with animal-derived ingredients.
“The fur trade is the largest and most damaging of all forms of animal exploitation,” the campaign’s organisers said.
“It destroys the lives and health of animals, causes millions of deaths every year, and is fuelling the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis, tuberculosis, leukaemia and HIV/AIDS.”
“We call on consumers to consider buying from products made with only animal-based ingredients.
These alternatives to animal products are the only options we have to truly protect animals.”
According to the organisers, a ban on animal-made cosmetics would be “the most effective way to reduce demand for products containing animal products, as well as the most cost-effective way to protect the planet and the health of the environment.”
“In recent years, there have been dramatic shifts in the global marketplace, with a global focus on environmental and ethical alternatives to products containing animals,” the campaigners said.
“Fur, the most prevalent, most widely used and most profitable source of fur, is being used to make products that we all recognise as ‘faux’ alternatives to the real thing.
This is why it is so important that the fur industry has the resources to develop new, better alternatives.”
According a new report by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), an animal rights organisation, about 70% of fur sales are made to China, India and Vietnam, while other countries like the UK and Australia are the largest producers of fur.
Animals’ rights campaigners have also slammed the European Union’s plan to ban the production and sale of fur by 2020.
“This move to ban fur products is a terrible and shocking injustice, with the European Commission already proposing a ban that is already causing great harm to the animals,” said Kate Gee, the director of the Campaign for Animals and the Environment.
“By not allowing the fur trade to continue, we are also helping to put the lives, health and safety of animals at risk, including the suffering of many cats and dogs who are being exploited for fur in China.”
“The EU ban will only exacerbate the situation, because it will force businesses to shift to non-animal products.
By allowing companies to continue to sell fur products, it is going to put millions of animals in danger,” she added.
“No country should be able to dictate the products we can and cannot buy.”