The Humane Society of the United States is warning Black Friday shoppers to watch out for deceptive or nonexistent descriptions in the advertising and labeling of fur jackets, and giving them tips on how to avoid ending up with domestic dog or raccoon dog fur in their shopping cart.
Find out which companies are fur-free. The HSUS maintains a constantly growing list of fur-free companies—currently at 71—online at http://www.humanesociety.org/furfreeshopping. More and more companies are going fur-free upon learning of the cruelty and labeling problems uncovered in the fur industry by a winter 2006 HSUS investigation. The HSUS investigation is ongoing and experts are actively investigating false advertising and labeling this season.
Don’t rely on advertising and labeling. Under a loophole in the federal labeling law, garments with animal fur valued at $150 or less are exempt from naming the species, country of origin or even that fur is on the product. If the fur is mentioned or described, it could very well be wrong. An investigation by The HSUS last season found both raccoon dog and domestic dog fur being advertised online as faux fur, and containing no labeling to say otherwise. Similar problems were found in stores.
Check the base of the fur. Push apart the fur and look at the material at the base of the hairs. The surest sign of animal’s fur is leather or skin (usually white or tan, but possibly the color of the fur if it has been dyed). The surest sign of faux is the threadwork or crosshatching of fabric.
Examine the tips of the hairs. If animal fur has not been sheared, plucked or cut to a uniform length, you may be able to examine the tips of the longest hairs and see that they taper into a fine point—like a cat’s whisker. Good lighting and a magnifying glass are helpful, as is holding the hairs up against a white surface.
Don’t rely on the “push-pin test.” The thought behind the push-pin test is that pushing a pin or sewing needle through the skin backing of animal’s fur is harder than pushing it through the fabric backing of fake fur. This test is unreliable because fake fur is sometimes wrapped around tough fabric in the hood, making pushing a pin through very difficult.
If in doubt about whether it is really faux fur, do not buy the garment.
Timeline:
- Nov. 13, 2007—New law goes into effect in New York state—fur capital of the country—requiring all real fur garments to indicate “real fur” on the label, hangtag, or a sticker—protecting consumers from the loophole in the federal law.
- Mar. 13, 2007—HSUS files legal petition before the Federal Trade Commission naming 14 companies in violation of the Fur Products Labeling Act.
- Feb. 7, 2007—H.R. 891, the Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act, sponsored by Representatives Jim Moran (D-Va.) and Michael Ferguson (R-N.J.), introduced in Congress to require that all real fur be labeled and to ban raccoon dog fur.
- Winter 2006-2007—Results of investigation by HSUS finds that of 25 fur-trimmed jackets tested, 20 were identified as raccoon dog fur, three were identified as domestic dog fur, and all 25 were falsely advertised, falsely labeled, unlabeled, or a combination of problems.
More Information: http://www.Humanesociety.Org/Furfree
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