How PETA Is Fighting To End Speciesism—And Working With Brands To Promote Eco-Friendly And Vegan Materials

M4D3 (Make a Difference Everyday) and PETA’s vegan leather espadrille

PETA

PETA, which was founded in 1980, is the largest and most respected animal rights organization in the world. With more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide, they work to end ‘speciesism’ through cruelty investigations, research, animal rescues, litigation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.

In addition to their activism and legislative work, they also work with brands on various partnerships, and I caught up with Ashley Byrne, Associate Director of Campaigns, to find out more.

Afdhel Aziz: Ashley, welcome. Please tell us about the purpose and mission of PETA which is to stop ‘speciesm’?

Ashley Byrne: Speciesism, like sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination, is a supremacist viewpoint that allows humans to treat other living, feeling beings like objects, even though they share our capacity for pain, hunger, fear, thirst, love, joy, and loneliness. The misguided belief that one species is more important than another is considered the root of all the most widespread forms of animal abuse.

It’s time to recognize that all sentient beings deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. Humans can reject speciesism and act with integrity and consistency toward all sentient beings, and the first step is understanding that every animal has the right to live free from human abuse and cruelty.

Ashley Byrne, Associate Director of Campaigns at PETA

PETA

Aziz: Thanks for sharing that Ashley. People are familiar with your campaigns taking on companies, but they may not know the work you do behind the scenes – for instance you actually own stock in a number of companies correct?

Byrne: While some shareholders seek out companies that share their values, PETA purposely seeks out the companies that don’t. We call this practice “shareholder activism.” PETA owns stock in various companies—including the largest meat producers, clothing retailers, fast-food and grocery chains, and pharmaceutical companies—so that we can attend meetings and directly call on shareholders, CEOs, and other decision-makers to end cruel practices involving animals.

 For example, buying stock in Tesla allowed PETA to engage with Elon Musk directly and publicly at numerous annual meetings, something we’d been unable to do in the past. During those meetings, the company agreed to do just as we asked—make cars truly environmentally friendly by using only vegan leather. 

Aziz: You seem to have won a great victory with fur, with so many brands dropping their usage completely – what’s next?

Byrne: This summer, PETA’s first-of-its-kind investigation into the alpaca industry revealed that workers hit, kicked, and mutilated pregnant, crying alpacas at a farm owned by the Michell Group, a supplier of major brands such as Anthropologie. This prompted PETA to launch a new international campaign demanding that Urban Outfitters, Inc., brands—including Anthropologie—take a cue from Valentino, UNIQLO, and other brands that have banned alpaca fleece and stop selling it as well as anything else cruelly obtained from animals.

PETA has also released exposés of 116 sheep wool operations on four continents, revealing that animals are beaten, kicked, thrown, cut, and mutilated. Animals in the leather industry face castration, branding, and tail-docking—all without painkillers—and some are even skinned and dismembered while they’re still conscious. And for exotic skins—which have already been banned by Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and others—workers kill alligators and crocodiles by cutting into their necks and ramming metal rods along their spines.

It’s 2020, and no one needs to wear any animals’ skins. The future of fashion lies in innovative, eco-friendly vegan fabrics, which are already widely available.

In the Soulshine and PETA’s limited-edition #VeganFashion crop top

PETA

Aziz: Tell us a little about the PETA approved certification and what brands partner with you to use it

Byrne: Our “PETA-Approved Vegan” logo helps brands highlight clothing, accessories, furniture, and home decor items made of vegan alternatives to animal-derived materials. It helps consumers identify vegan items at a glance while shopping and make purchases that align with their values. Since the logo’s debut in 2012, it’s been used by H&M, HUGO BOSS, Topshop, and many other companies.

By switching from animal-derived materials to innovative vegan options, brands help advance our cause while simultaneously appealing to the rapidly growing socially conscious consumer demographic that’s demanding products that don’t harm animals, the Earth, or us. 

Aziz: Wonderful, thank you for sharing Ashley. Finally, how else can brands work with you to advance your cause?

Byrne: PETA eagerly works behind the scenes with companies to adopt animal-friendly policies that also benefit the environment and workers’ rights. Brands can also join our “Beauty Without Bunnies” program (a list of companies that don’t test on animals), promote their vegan offerings with the “PETA-Approved Vegan” logo, and become a PETA Business Friend.