Using Animals as Clothing - Essay Example

USING ANIMALS AS CLOTHING Name Institution Using Animals as Clothing Animal skin for clothing in UAE is used in fashion accessories, lifestyle and for home decorations. There are various types of skins that come from different types of animals. Such animals include the sheep, rabbits, foxes, mink, reptiles, cattle, dogs, cats and snakes. In order to come up with clothing from animal skin, it has to undergo a particular process. This process involves sewing using a sewing machine or tanning. As much as the use of animals is considered as a fashion, animal activists have attempted to break this image. Some of the activists who campaign against the use of animal skin for clothing include PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal) (PETA, 2012). People who will have animal skin clothing will not be considered as the lucky people but rather as cruel animal slayers after the activist succeed. The use of animal skins for clothing has serious detrimental effects to the environment. PETA campaign is also ready to inform the fashion world about the use of animal skin that it is not only expensive but also a number of animal heads have been sacrificed in support of the trend. It had significant success in its campaign but still has not been able to convince people to keep off the use of skin from animals as clothing. It has to look for other alternatives and advise the public to have pity for the animals. Animals should not be used to obtain materials for manufacturing as they are made to spend their lives confined to filthy and cramped wire cages. Various animals such as lizards, snakes, and crocodiles are subjected to killing for their skins. The national geographic has reported that between the year 2000 and 2007, 24,782,857 reptile parts have been exported out of South East Asia (PETA, 2011). These reptile skins are used to make shoes, clothes, belts and handbags that are displayed in expensive stores. An approximate number of 30 million animals are killed per year which should not be the case because there are available substitutes. Making clothing from animal skin is a process that requires various activities. For instance, in order to obtain fur from animals they undergo processes that endanger their lives that include slaughtering with the help of vets. It involves gassing of carbon monoxide and poisoning that makes the animal to sleep. Electrocution is also used to catch the animal which is believed to be the most painless and quickest means. Animal skin is also obtained through the cruel method of skinning the animal alive. All these methods of getting animal skin are harmful to the animals because animals undergo pain and then they are killed. There are industries that use animal skin alternatives like fur but still animals are killed to get it. The cruel methods used to obtain animal skin make people reject fur although leather and sheepskin are in high demand. Both leather and the sheepskin undergo tanning and then they are treated with chemicals to avoid decay and get the desired color (Cimino, 2004). Other forms of raw materials should be used to make clothing. As much as leather and sheepskins are considered as the byproducts of the meat industry, animals are killed. They are also exposed to other dangers if they are not killed. Animals are being used to provide the raw materials for clothing. Cows and sheep are slaughtered, rabbits, mink and foxes are killed, and wild animals are trapped or shot in order for their fur and skin to make clothes and shoes. As much as animals should develop some sort of protection it is not possible for them to survive as they are deprived of their freedom through killing. The pain that animals undergo should not happen because there are various alternatives that can be used. There are various techniques that are used by manufacturers and furriers to lighten the garments (Born Free USA, 2010). They include plucking, shearing leathering, weaving and knitting. Most of the animal skin is used to protect the animal from cold and heat. Such animals include the sheep that has wool, and before this wool was exploited the sheep only used it to protect itself but now it is being used in the manufacturing of clothing. The wool is used to make clothes such as jumpers, gloves, scarves and coats. This has resulted in a multitude of illnesses that relate to the hair, death due to the overwhelming heat and fly strikes, and pain felt during shearing. Workers immobilize these animals during shearing so that they can get every possible inch of wool, and as a result, these animals suffer from injuries and stress. After shearing the worker should take into account the pain those animals suffer from the shearing process. In 2008, UAE experienced significant increment in the number of fashion events. These events were supported by various companies in the industry, brand awareness, government and evolution in fashion designers (PETA, 2012). As much as such events promote tourism the supporters of these should discourage the use of animal skin to produce clothes for the fashion. Clothing production using animal skin should be highly discouraged at all means. Today there are industries that manufacture clothes that are not made from animal skin. This is because animal skins have got a lot of alternatives such as natural plant fiber and synthetic materials like the recycled plastic bottles. The use of synthetic materials is practiced in many industries with many of them using and selling clothes made from recycled plastic bottles. Environmental groups, Greenpeace including PETA criticizes the use of animal skin for clothing and consider the practice as unethical. This has led some designers to prefer fake fur, which is known as faux fur instead of fur as they make their endeavors. Other fur alternatives include the recycled fur that has caught great attention to the producers and consumers. A significant number of various animals are killed in fur production. An approximate number of 35 animals are skinned alive to come up with a single coat, and 30 million animals per year are killed in the fur industry. This should be thoroughly discouraged as nations such as UAE are losing their natural pride. PETA has come up with the campaign of creating awareness about the mistreatment and misery that animals undergo to obtain fur. This has led to the rejection of fur and its products (Emberley, 2007). There are so many and significant alternatives to leather, wool and fur available hence people should stop wearing fur or animal skins. They include sustainable and renewable plant based fabrics such as cotton, linen, bamboo and hemp. Leather alternatives include cotton, rubber, canvas, ramie and synthetics. People with an allergy to wool should use cotton flannel, polyester fleece, synthetic shearling and other fibers that are animals cruel-free. Workers in these industries maximize profits at all cost regardless of the environment and the well-being of the animal. In addition to causing harm and death to many animals every year, the production of clothing using animal skin causes land devastation, pollution, water contamination and global warming caused by an increase in temperature (Halfmann, 2010). Environment conservation and animal welfare and rights have become an issue to consumers as they purchase their clothing. They are conscious and want to ensure that the source of the raw material is from places where ethical standards are followed. Fur is a biodegradable and cause less pollution during production and therefore, in the regulation of reservation of the environment and protection of animal; fur is considered as a sustainable raw material. Animal skin in the production of clothing pollutes the environment because dangerous substances are being used. These substances include formaldehyde, mineral salts, dyes, some oils, coal-tar derivatives and finishes such as cyanide-based (Cimino, 2004). Leather is normally tanned using chrome. Waste from chromium products is hazardous. Tannery waste contains a large volume of pollutants such as hairs, salt, sulfides, lime sludge, proteins and acids. Chrome tanning facility affects the supply of water as it wastes about 15,000 gallons, and as a result, it produces 2,200 pounds of solid waste during the processing of a single tonne of hides. Leather tanning produces large quantities of tonnes of chrome shavings that are directed to the land. This pollutes the surrounding environment such as the groundwater has elevated levels of various toxic substances. Some of the toxic substances include lead, zinc, arsenic and polychlorinated biphenyls. These industries should be closed down or use the alternative methods because these waste products last for many years in the nearby rivers, dry and wetlands. The government should not only charge these industries due to their man-made pollution of the environment, but it should close them down. The toxic substances cause health problems such as leukemia, lung cancer, eczema and skin ulcerations in human beings (Halfmann, 2010). Sheep rearing has led to cutting down of trees and land is cleared to get grazing land. This has led to increase in erosion, soil salinity, and biodiversity has been decreased. Soil deterioration has led to desertification. Overstocking of sheep leads to land damage and they consume large amounts of water and chemicals used in wool production pollute water supplies. The manure produced by sheep, cattle and other animals that generate fur, leather and wool has led to increased atmospheric greenhouse gasses for many years. Methane gas concentration has increased by more than 130% globally that is dangerous. References Born Free USA. (2010, September 12). Fighting Against Fur. Retrieved from http://www.bornfreeusa.org/a2_fashion.php Cimino, A. (2004, November 23). The Fur Trade Today. The Independent, pp. 34-38. Emberley, J. (2007). The Cultural Politics of Fur. New York: Cornell University Press. Halfmann, J. (2010). Fur and Feathers. New York: Sylvan Dell Publishing. PETA. (2011, March 2). More Info on Animals Used for Clothing. Retrieved from http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/default2.aspx PETA. (2012, May 23). Wool, Fur, and Leather: Hazardous to the Environment. Retrieved from http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/wool-fur-and-leather-hazardous-to-the-environment.aspx Read More