Demand a Cruelty Free Life for Geese and Ducks!

Many outdoor brands use down feathers from geese or ducks in their products. Each company claims that the feathers they use are byproducts of the meat industry, implying products are cruelty free. However, down travels through many systems, farms and hands before it is made into a final product to be sold to the consumer.

This makes tracing it back to the actual farm or individual flock of geese and ducks a challenge. Without traceability, it will be impossible to ascertain that live plucking and force feeding did not take place.

While most of the outdoor brands state that they do not accept down from live-plucked or force-fed animals, evidence to back these claims is often missing. The lack of strong controls and traceability throughout the supply chain allows for hidden suffering. A few brands have started to take control of their supply chain and are taking serious steps to exclude cruelty from their products.

Ask all brands that use down in their products to take responsibility for their full supply chain, be transparent about their efforts and implement strong controls especially at the farm level.
Dear Outdoor brands,

I am worried about the welfare of the geese and ducks you source down from for jackets and sleeping bags. You state that you do not accept down products from live-plucked or force-fed geese or ducks. Can you prove that your supply chain is really free of these practices?

Many brands depend on statements from suppliers to back this claim, but it is often not enough. It is not always clear whether suppliers are basing these statements on checks in all farms, at times where live-plucking or force-feeding is usually carried out and in the form of unannounced, surprise visits.

I am writing to ask you to take full control over your down supply in order to truly exclude such cruel practices and be transparent about your level of effort. You can do this by:

Committing to audit and trace your full supply chain starting with the parent animal farms and all the way to the final product with the help of independent third party auditors.

Implement unannounced inspections especially at farm level and during the times where live-plucking and force-feeding are most likely to be carried out.

Communicate your actions to consumers so that we can make choices informed by your efforts towards higher animal welfare.

[Your comment will go here]

Regards,
[Your name]
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