Ethics of Fur

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Raw Materials
Fake furs are made with a variety of materials. The bulk fibers are typically composed of polymers, including acrylics, modacrylics, or appropriate blends of these polymers. Acrylic polymers are made from chemicals derived from* coal, air, water, petroleum*, and limestone. They are the result of a chemical reaction of an acrylonitrile monomer under conditions of elevated pressure and heat. For fake furs, secondary monomers are also added to improve the ability of the acrylic fibers to absorb dyes. Modacrylic polymers are copolymers made by the reaction of acrylonitrile and vinyl chloride monomers. These fibers are particularly useful for fake furs because they can be easily dyed with animal-like colors and have a natural fire retardance.
answers.com/topic/fake-fur

So if a consumer wants the warmth of the fur, but would prefer to not expose themselves to chemicals or to use petroleum or coal for those purposes, natural fur would be the better option. Real fur is biodegradable. I’m not sure fake fur is. Are these fake furs going to sit in landfills perpetually?

And out of curiosity…would vegans be opposed to natural fibers like wool and cahsmere that come from animals?
 
answers.com/topic/fake-fur

So if a consumer wants the warmth of the fur, but would prefer to not expose themselves to chemicals or to use petroleum or coal for those purposes, natural fur would be the better option. Real fur is biodegradable. I’m not sure fake fur is. Are these fake furs going to sit in landfills perpetually?

And out of curiosity…would vegans be opposed to natural fibers like wool and cahsmere that come from animals?
The petrolium jelly we smear on our lips is a byproduct of petrolium BTW.

I know of some who use the shed fur of even their pet dogs to make garments. If there animals are treated humanely and not slaughtered when they are old etc, I would be fine. How many do that as a business? I really would not know.
 
answers.com/topic/fake-fur

So if a consumer wants the warmth of the fur, but would prefer to not expose themselves to chemicals or to use petroleum or coal for those purposes, natural fur would be the better option. Real fur is biodegradable. I’m not sure fake fur is. Are these fake furs going to sit in landfills perpetually?

And out of curiosity…would vegans be opposed to natural fibers like wool and cahsmere that come from animals?
Concern for the environment is actually what began me taking steps that lead me to give up meat, dairy, poultry, fish, eggs, fur, leather - it was what I initially learned about the environmental damage caused by the production of leather on the surrounding communities, land and water pollution - which have improved somewhat in the US but are now subjecting communities in India, Pakistan to the same types of risks to polluted water and soil - and as you might suspect - yes as a vegan wool and cashmere are also omitted - the animals raised for this purpose are often sent to the middle east to be slaughtered for meat on ships - where they are then slaughtered without the same kind of slaughter laws as we do here.
 
Concern for the environment is actually what began me taking steps that lead me to give up meat, dairy, poultry, fish, eggs, fur, leather - it was what I initially learned about the environmental damage caused by the production of leather on the surrounding communities, land and water pollution - which have improved somewhat in the US but are now subjecting communities in India, Pakistan to the same types of risks to polluted water and soil - and as you might suspect - yes as a vegan wool and cashmere are also omitted - the animals raised for this purpose are often sent to the middle east to be slaughtered for meat on ships - where they are then slaughtered without the same kind of slaughter laws as we do here.
Really, no wool? The sheepies get really hot in the summer with that long hair, and they need a haircut. Wouldn’t it be wasteful to just throw it out? People raise llama’s and camels for their wool, I don’t think they get eaten. 🤷
 
The petrolium jelly we smear on our lips is a byproduct of petrolium BTW.I know of some who use the shed fur of even their pet dogs to make garments. If there animals are treated humanely and not slaughtered when they are old etc, I would be fine. How many do that as a business? I really would not know.
I don’t think I have any Vaseline in the house.
Anyway, I mentioned the use of petroleum because if we are having a fuel crisis, should we use petroleum to make fake furs, instead of using it for fuel? My house is oil heat…we would have liked to switch to Natural Gas, but it isn’t an option where I live. I need to stay warm, if petroleum is in such short supply, why use it to make fake fur?
 
I don’t think I have any Vaseline in the house.
Anyway, I mentioned the use of petroleum because if we are having a fuel crisis, should we use petroleum to make fake furs, instead of using it for fuel? My house is oil heat…we would have liked to switch to Natural Gas, but it isn’t an option where I live. I need to stay warm, if petroleum is in such short supply, why use it to make fake fur?
Not quite the same thing.

The various fuels are distilled out of the crude product. Petroleum jelly is one product, as are Tar, Diesel oil, Gasoline, etc…
Very basic understanding of the process here, I am no expert, I am sure others can and will correct me.

Using more or less petroleum jelly is not going to have bearing on the availibility of the other products.
 
Not quite the same thing.

The various fuels are distilled out of the crude product. Petroleum jelly is one product, as are Tar, Diesel oil, Gasoline, etc…
Very basic understanding of the process here, I am no expert, I am sure others can and will correct me.

Using more or less petroleum jelly is not going to have bearing on the availibility of the other products.
I didn’t mean petoleum jelly…I meant using petroleum to make fake furs.
I am not anti- Vaseline. 😃
 
Really, no wool? The sheepies get really hot in the summer with that long hair, and they need a haircut. Wouldn’t it be wasteful to just throw it out? People raise llama’s and camels for their wool, I don’t think they get eaten. 🤷
Llamas and alpacas are raised for their fleece - and are not eaten to my knowledge in the US - I now some who object to other sources of wool are ok with this source.

But sheep are raised for their wool mostly in Australia and New Zealand- then shipped off to be eaten in the middle east primarily. Were they not raised for this purpose there would be no need for a haircut - in the wild they don’t need it - their coat is adaptive to the season - they have been selectively breed for the highest production of wool - raising sheep just for this - the sheep are often subjected to surgical mulesing (happily being banned in most places by 12/10)
 
Llamas and alpacas are raised for their fleece - and are not eaten to my knowledge in the US - I now some who object to other sources of wool are ok with this source.

But sheep are raised for their wool mostly in Australia and New Zealand- then shipped off to be eaten in the middle east primarily. Were they not raised for this purpose there would be no need for a haircut - in the wild they don’t need it - their coat is adaptive to the season - they have been selectively breed for the highest production of wool - raising sheep just for this - the sheep are often subjected to surgical mulesing (happily being banned in most places by 12/10)
I’ve known sheep-herders who shear their sheep, even if they aren’t sheep bred specifically for their wool. I still have family in Sicily who are into agriculture. Sicily gets warm in the summer.

Are their still large amounts of sheep in the wild? It’s been a domestic animal for millennia.
 
answers.com/topic/fake-fur

So if a consumer wants the warmth of the fur, but would prefer to not expose themselves to chemicals or to use petroleum or coal for those purposes, natural fur would be the better option. Real fur is biodegradable. I’m not sure fake fur is. Are these fake furs going to sit in landfills perpetually?

And out of curiosity…would vegans be opposed to natural fibers like wool and cahsmere that come from animals?
Great research, Mary!!! Yes, faux fur has it’s issues too. I advise going completely “furless.” But also keep in mind all the toxic chemicals used to tan the hides from animals. Without tanning the skin would fall apart. This is an opinion piece but it lists some of the chemicals used in tanning leather: greenlivingtips.com/articles/314/1/Leather-and-the-environment.html

Also, good question about wool and cashmere. You guys are giving me good ideas for another thread!!! I have never liked wool–too scratchy. The animals are not killed but they do suffer. They can be injured in the shearing process, and they are left naked in their skivies (I know I spelled that wrong) at the coldest, harshest time of the year.
 
Really, no wool? The sheepies get really hot in the summer with that long hair, and they need a haircut. Wouldn’t it be wasteful to just throw it out? People raise llama’s and camels for their wool, I don’t think they get eaten. 🤷
They shear the hair when it is the thickest, in the coldest months. Actually, I’m not a big fan of wool clothing because of the scratch factor–but I would like to learn more about how sheep are treated and sheared.
 
I didn’t mean petroleum jelly…I meant using petroleum to make fake furs.
I am not anti- Vaseline. 😃
I’m anti-Vaseline. It’s such icky stuff. I can’t remember what my mother used it for, but there was always some in the house.
 
I don’t think I have any Vaseline in the house.
Anyway, I mentioned the use of petroleum because if we are having a fuel crisis, should we use petroleum to make fake furs, instead of using it for fuel? My house is oil heat…we would have liked to switch to Natural Gas, but it isn’t an option where I live. I need to stay warm, if petroleum is in such short supply, why use it to make fake fur?
Agreed. We don’t need “real” fur or “faux” fur. Both are about dumb fashion.

“Tell me what you NEED, and I’ll tell you why you DON’T NEED it.” I saw that slogan on a T-shirt yesterday.
 
**Llamas and alpacas are raised for their fleece - and are not eaten to my knowledge in the US - I know some who object to other sources of wool are ok with this source. **

But sheep are raised for their wool mostly in Australia and New Zealand- then shipped off to be eaten in the middle east primarily. Were they not raised for this purpose there would be no need for a haircut - in the wild they don’t need it - their coat is adaptive to the season - they have been selectively breed for the highest production of wool - raising sheep just for this - the sheep are often subjected to surgical mulesing (happily being banned in most places by 12/10)
Thanks for the info. I learn something new every day!!! I will look into the llama and alpaca as US sources of wool. I have noticed that stores like Whole Foods are carrying wool items from South American villagers/artisans. I was wondering about wool for this reason.

mulesing: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulesing
 
They shear the hair when it is the thickest, in the coldest months. Actually, I’m not a big fan of wool clothing because of the scratch factor–but I would like to learn more about how sheep are treated and sheared.
I don’t know a whole lot about sheep, but I know a few people who have them (and llamas), and I have seen them shear. They are sheared with an electric clippers in the summer (any ideas about the sheep getting injured from the clippers can be put aside)
 
Well, that would explain why you aren’t out in the woods shooting anything.

However, if you wish to address the issues brought forth in this thread, you will need to go much further then that.

The fur industry serves many needs.
Sorry what would explain why Im not out in the woods? I would be happy to go further, once I read of reasons why people need fur that are not to do with vanity or personal preference. I have already explained how I and others I know living in extreme temperate conditions have managed to get by without the use of fur. Iam not judging anyone, but these expereinces of mine make it extremely difficult to understand why a human being needs to wear fur. What are these many needs the fur industry serves? Iam not stupid and you will need to go much further than you did in your recent post.
 
When I was a kid, people used to trap up and down the creek on our farm. Trapping is not too kind a thing to do, even if the trapper returns to the trap frequently. Seems to me fur farming is a lot more humane, based on the above description by mmsiciliana.

I sure don’t live in a place where it gets to 40 below, and I’m not sure I have ever seen 20 below either. Don’t think I have. In maybe half our winters it gets around 10 above for a day or two, and that’s as much cold as I ever want to see.

But I will say for sure that a sheepskin coat is the most effective coat there is, bar none.

I’m not entirely sure why women like fur coats. But then, I’m not sure why they like earrings, either. Women also wear makeup, whereas men don’t. I have heard women say that when they enter a room full of people, every woman sizes up every other woman in the whole room. Men don’t do that, and I don’t really understand it.

But knowing that women like fur coats, I’m not going to begrudge them that for the sake of a concern for the animals that might not be warranted from any perspective that is mandatory upon Catholics. The sheep has to die for people to have sheepskin coats. The steer has to die for people to have beef. A kazillion bugs and rodents die so we can eat vegetables and grains and not have stores and houses full of cockroaches and rats. Our bodies kill millions of bacteria and viruses daily as a matter of routine.

As long as we do not deliberately inflict needless cruelty on animals, I don’t see anything wrong with utilizing them, particularly since the “state of nature” is far more cruel than anything I, at least, have ever seen humans do to animals.
I find your post quite interesting(i mean in a good, non-sarcastic way). First of all, being a woman myself, I fail to see how the preference that some women have for fur justifies fur use. We both agree that inflicting needless sufferring on animals is wrong-however for me fur use comes under needless. Iam sure those women who like fur coats will be able to get on with their lives if they were denied them.

By the way I know of men who like fur coats as well.
 
I find your post quite interesting(i mean in a good, non-sarcastic way). First of all, being a woman myself, I fail to see how the preference that some women have for fur justifies fur use. We both agree that inflicting needless sufferring on animals is wrong-however for me fur use comes under needless. Iam sure those women who like fur coats will be able to get on with their lives if they were denied them.

By the way I know of men who like fur coats as well.
Oh, but you know, it really brought out the sparkle in my wife’s eyes! And she looks good in it too, not that she doesn’t look good in everything. She’s not a “fashion plate” kind of lady and is in no way stuck up and spends almost everything she makes on other people. So, I can’t get harsh about her wearing fur. If we get all excited about women wearing fur, then we have to get all excited about the energy it wastes to make earrings and rings and bracelets and the chemicals and energy (not to mention likely animal products) it takes to manufacture makeup, and the waste of leather in their having more shoes than a man would ever think necessary. That stuff used for permanents has to be eating the Ozone layer from the inside out, and probably kills polar bears or at least erodes their teeth from afar, it’s so strong and caustic-smelling. Then there are purses, and one of those is never enough, and they’re made out of leather or some kind of petroleum product that releases all kinds of poison gas into the environment and takes petroleum to ship as well which puts CO2 into the atmosphere.

But notwithstanding all that, if women want to wear all that stuff, I’ll not begrudge it. Knowing as I think I do that fur farms don’t even come close the cruelty of nature, it’s just hard for me to begrudge women having a fur coat or jacket or collar or whatever.

Without passing judgment on the men you know who wear fur coats, that makes me think of pimps. Maybe that prejudice is due to the fact that I live in flyover country. I hate male jewelry too, except class rings, wedding rings and modest watches. So, I’m retrograde. I admit it.
 
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