Cruelty Isn’t Cozy: The Horror Story of H&M’s Cashmere Sweaters
PETA has launched a new ad campaign calling out H&M over its sale of cashmere. Our bold message reads, “Your H&M Sweater Is a Horror Story,” and the imagery leans on slasher-flick iconography to highlight the violence that goats endure in the cashmere industry. As revealed in hair-raising investigations of the cashmere trade by PETA Asia, workers repeatedly rip goats’ hair out with sharp metal combs—sometimes pulling skin away with it. Once their cashmere production declines, the animals are sent to slaughterhouses, where workers either bash their heads with hammers or make no attempt to stun them before slitting their throats.
PETA’s startling new ad will appear on 50 massive posters for two weeks—from late October to early November—in New York City, near some of the most popular haunted houses there. H&M has offices in the city, so it won’t be easy for the clothing giant to ignore the striking image and message.
PETA Asia’s Investigations and Work to Persuade H&M to Ban Cashmere
H&M, which claims that “no animals should be harmed in the making of [its] products,” previously committed to banning cashmere after PETA Asia’s first investigation into the industry but later reneged on its promise.
In July, PETA Asia released a second investigation, exposing the cruelty of Mongolia’s cashmere industry, but H&M still refused to take action.
The company has already banned angora, fur, exotic skins, and other animal-derived materials, so it’s clear that it can and will take action for animals when it’s under enough pressure to do so.
Goats are sensitive individuals who form meaningful relationships and strong bonds with each other and their human guardians. They’ve even been known to wag their tails and jump for joy when they’re happy. No goat—or any animal—should be exploited and killed for clothing.
Take Action for Goats
Never buy cashmere. If you see “cashmere” on the tag, leave the item on the shelf. We’re calling on shoppers to avoid H&M until it stops stocking sweaters made from the hair of tortured goats. Tell it to join many other international companies and brands in banning cashmere:
