By Nick Engelfried
For people who care about ending animal cruelty, the modern world is full of products to avoid. From pigs, cows, and chickens slaughtered for meat, to egg-laying hens whose beaks are mutilated in factory farms, to cattle killed for their leather hides, the aisles of stores are laden with items made by inflicting horrific suffering on animals. However, many animal advocates don’t realize that something as seemingly innocent as a down pillow or blanket may also be a product of cruelty.

Despite the availability of humane alternatives, many down products still use real feathers which are often “live-plucked” from domestic ducks or geese–a painful process during which the soft inner feathers are literally ripped from the terrified bird’s skin. Usually, down is a byproduct of the poultry meat industry and comes from birds who are eventually destined to be slaughtered. Having a vital part of their bodies torn off subjects these doomed animals to yet another kind of suffering, while supporting the meat industry by adding another monetary incentive to raise birds for food. Thus, down is inextricably tied to one of the cruelest animal industries on Earth.

To put a stop to the down industry’s abuses, it’s vital that more people understand both the harm it causes to birds, and how to avoid participating in the cruelty. First, it is important to know that humane alternatives to down do exist. Pillows, blankets, and vests made with down alternatives use synthetic substitutes that mimic the properties of real feathers. Another option is to buy products made with recycled down, which repurpose down from discarded items so no new animals are harmed in the item’s making.

Finally, there is eiderdown, which is gathered from wild eider ducks in northern countries like Canada. What makes eiderdown special, from an animal welfare perspective, is that it is harvested from abandoned eider nests after the baby ducks fledge. Female eiders line their nests with their own down feathers to keep their eggs warm and dry–and once the ducklings have left the nest, these feathers can be harvested by hand without any harm coming to animals. Eiderdown is a sustainable industry, and is also widely regarded to be the highest-quality type of down feather. However, it is prohibitively expensive, making it not a practical choice for most consumers.

In contrast, down alternatives and recycled down are both good options for people who want to experience warmth and comfort without contributing to animal cruelty. These humanely made products are more and more widely available–yet, countless birds continue to suffer to supply real “virgin” down for the market.

According to Humane Decisions, an organization dedicated to ending animal exploitation for food and clothing, most of the down used today is produced by farms in Eastern Europe and China, where feathers are live-plucked from birds. Live-plucking is the cruelest form of down production, and is a process where ducks and geese are held upside down with their legs tied together and their wings pinned so the soft inner feathers on their chests can be ripped off. The animals remain conscious throughout the entire procedure, enduring unimaginable pain and fear, and can sustain serious injury to wings or other body parts.

Geese and ducks may be subjected to live-plucking as often as six times a year for up to two or three years before they are eventually slaughtered for meat. Live-plucking is now illegal within the United States, but there is nothing preventing U.S. companies from selling products made with live-plucked down from other countries. An estimated 60-90 percent of down sold globally is still obtained using this cruel method.

A growing number of companies, such as North Face, Textile Exchange, and Patagonia, have attempted to reduce the suffering inflicted on birds by offering products certified as having been made with “humane” down. At least some of these certifications do indicate that some safeguards were in place to protect the affected birds. For example, products with the Responsible Down Standard or Global Traceable Down Standard labels are required to source from farms where practices like live-plucking are not allowed.

However, it’s important to be aware that these standards can be difficult to enforce–and even in the best case scenario, they only guarantee against the worst excesses of the down industry. While they may require that birds be protected from unnecessary pain and fear, this is a subjective concept that’s open to widely different interpretations. Birds on certified farms may still live out their lives in relatively barren cages without consistent access to the outdoors, and are usually slaughtered for their meat after a few years. The best option for preventing animal cruelty is therefore to avoid products made with real virgin down altogether.

The key to purchasing humanely when buying a jacket, blanket, or other item made from down is to do your research and be aware of what is inside. In terms of product quality, there may not be a noticeable difference between items made with down alternative, recycled down, or down that was recently plucked from the skin of live birds. However, there is an immense difference in the amount of pain and agony caused in the process of bringing the product to market. This should give anyone pause before making a purchasing decision.

We can all be advocates for corporate policies that prohibit the use of real down. Several companies, including Miss Selfridge, Whistles, Dr Martens, and Topshop have pledged to eliminate the use of their down in their products altogether, under pressure from consumers. The more animal lovers let corporate decision makers know this issue is important, the more likely it is that additional companies will follow in the footsteps of these humane trendsetters, saving countless ducks and geese.

Every time we reduce the number of virgin down products being sold on the global market, we are lessening the suffering of birds who experience severe pain and fear in order to supply people with warm coats and blankets. With humane alternatives readily available, we now have an opportunity as a society to end the cruelties of the down industry once and for all–so no duck or goose endures agony to make the items we sleep on and wear.

Photo credit: Lucy

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Nick Engelfried Writes About Animals, the Environment, and Conservation for the ForceChange network