More and more brands are banning real fur and go for faux fur made from plastic instead. Though, it seems that more plastic is the last thing our planet needs. So what is a more sustainable option? Let’s sort the things out.
- Ethical side. This is probably the first argument against use of real fur. Yes, it is true, you can’t get fur without harming the animal. But what about its plastic alternative? It is not that ethical neither – more than 100,000 marine animals die as a result of plastic ingestion. And it is expected that by 2025 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. Another research shows that we may be eating the equivalent of a credit card a week of micro plastics as they get into what we eat and the products we use. So overall – we can’t say that faux fur is more ethical, because it indirectly causes harm to our planet’s ecosystems.
2. Environmental side. 85% of real fur comes from animal farms and it is clear that farming animals causes dioxide emissions together with harmful impact on waterways. On the other side faux fur is produced from plastic and 99% of plastic is produced from fossil fuels, which in turn contributes to climate crisis. In turns of “life after use” the real fur is completely biodegradable, while faux fur is not.
What can we conclude? Neither fake nor real fur are fully sustainable materials, so it is up to you what kind of fur to use or maybe choose other alternatives.
When it comes to our choice – we are using natural fur for our slippers. However, sustainability is the core value of TOOCHE brand, so we are using remnants of fur that are left from other designers. By the way, if you are a designer that is working with fur and you would like to upcycle the pieces that are left please contact us, we are always looking for more people to join our movement!
Please share your thoughts – are you wearing real fur, fake fur or other alternative?
Check out our collection of wool felted slippers here: https://tooche.me/collections/shoes/slippers
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