Together we can move the fashion industry to make animal protection a priority, by shining a spotlight on fashion brands taking steps towards an animal-friendly fashion future. The Wear It Kind Directory assesses brands' efforts in addressing live lamb cutting, also known as mulesing, fur use, the live plucking of geese and ducks, and reducing use of animal-derived materials. Utilise this directory to support proactive brands, and to know who to reach out to for further action.
Click on a Brand to Learn More About Their Commitments to the Four Key Issues
Brands have been assessed and rated for their commitment on the four key issues. Under each indicator is the range of criteria that we believe represents the corresponding level of progress on these issues.
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Abercrombie & Fitch
About You
Aclima
adidas
Aerie
AFound
Ahlens
What can I do if the brand I am searching for has not been rated?
Contact us at wearitkind@four-paws.org to request a rating for this brand.
How does FOUR PAWS measure a brand’s commitment to avoid live lamb cutting?
Discloses wool is 100% certified live lamb cutting free or recycled, or does not use wool, or has a timebound target to end wool use.
Discloses by a set date, a strong commitment to phase out live lamb cutting wool, or to reduce wool use by at least 50%.
Discloses a commitment to avoid live lamb cutting wool or only a position statement against live lamb cutting.
Does not disclose a position or demonstrate actions that mitigate the risks of live lamb cutting.
Non-Approved Certifications: Although the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification publicly declares a stance against live lamb cutting (also known as mulesing), GOTS certification alone may not reliably exclude live lamb cutting. FOUR PAWS recommends that GOTS certification be used in conjunction with the best available animal welfare certifications that not only prohibit live lamb cutting but aim to address a range of species-specific animal welfare requirements.
How does FOUR PAWS measure a brand’s commitment to avoid live plucking?
Discloses robust strategy to help ensure live plucking is ruled out, does not use virgin down, or has a timebound target to end down use.
Discloses a strong commitment to additional effort beyond certification to rule out live plucking or has a timebound target to reduce the use of down by at least 50%.
Uses 100% certified virgin down (or a combination of certified virgin and recycled down) or does not appear to use down but has not made this clear.
Uses down or sells products that could contain down but does not disclose a commitment or demonstrate actions to rule out live plucking.
Certifications: For a brand to reach the yellow level for Down, they must be certified to the Responsible Down Standard or Downpass.
How does FOUR PAWS measure a brand’s commitment to not use fur?
Discloses a commitment against fur and is an official Fur Free Retailer.
Discloses it is fur free but is not an official Fur Free Retailer.
Sells fur but has committed to end its use or appears to be fur free but has not publicly addressed fur use.
Sells fur and does not disclose a commitment to end fur use.
Fur Free Retailer: ‘The world’s leading program to connect fur-free companies to consumers seeking ethical goods. The online retailer list provides consumers accurate information about a retailer’s fur policy, allowing them to make an informed choice when shopping.’¹
How does FOUR PAWS measure a brand’s commitment to reduce animal-derived materials (ADMs)?
Reports their use of ADMs and discloses a measurable commitment to reduce ADM use or has a timebound target to end the use of one key ADM type.
Sells multiple products made of next-gen materials or invests in developing next-gen materials.
Uses or discloses a commitment to recycled ADMs or communicates a desire to utilise next-gen materials.
Does not disclose a commitment or demonstrate actions taken to reduce ADM use.
How did we compile the Directory brand list and what are we aiming to achieve with it?
Our brand list for the Wear It Kind Directory was drawn from our Brands Against Mulesing List, which had over 400 brands listed, who had made a public statement against live lamb cutting or made a commitment to phasing out live lamb cutting from their supply chains. Some of these brands may also have a fur-free commitment and have joined the Fur Free Retailer list. We then looked further into aspects of their public animal welfare policies, regarding Down (live plucking) and Reduction of Animal-Derived Materials. As we continue to add more brands to the Directory, some may or may not have animal-welfare related policies for all four issues. Our goal is to provide consumers and activists with more insight into brand action and commitment to tackle our four key animal welfare priorities and encourage brands to change and feature positively across all four criteria on our list.
How does the Wear It Kind Directory differ from the Good On You tool?
Our list focuses specifically on four key animal welfare issues we are bringing attention to and working on with brands and governments to continuously improve. The Good On You platform takes a more holistic look at impacts on animals overall, as well as other important areas relating to responsible fashion including impacts on labour (People), and the environment (Planet). We are proud to be the consultation partner for the Good On You animals scoring system, which is also what we base our biennial Animal Welfare in Fashion Report on. Within the Good On You rating system, they list vegan brands as ‘Great’ in the Animals category and you can also search for vegan brands via their site. For our purposes, we want to give our supporters a transparent insight as to what brands are doing on our core four areas of interest, how they are taking steps to avoid cruelty in these areas or reducing animal materials overall.
What about brands that are not on the Wear It Kind Directory?
There are thousands of brands across the globe, and you might be missing your favourite brands from this list. We are working diligently to add as many brands as possible in the coming months and years. Over 1,500 brands are already on the Fur Free Retailer list so if you’d like to check them out, please do! And again, for vegan fashion brands, you can also consult the Good On You platform.
Brand Action for Animals
Disclaimer: The Brand Directory was developed by FOUR PAWS using publicly available information retrieved on the dates listed. The ratings given are calculated on the basis of this ratings guide. FOUR PAWS has taken reasonable care to ensure that the information contained in the Directory is accurate and obtained from sources FOUR PAWS believes to be reliable. However, FOUR PAWS makes no guarantee as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. FOUR PAWS takes no responsibility as to the further usage of the Brand Directory.
Source
1. Fur Free Retailer, 2024. https://furfreeretailer.com