After Hearing From PETA About How Goats Suffer for Cashmere, Naadam Removes ‘Cruelty-Free’ Claims From Its Website
Update (February 15, 2023): Less than an hour after PETA fired off a letter to the clothing company Naadam, which called for the retailer to stop falsely advertising cashmere as “cruelty free,” CEO Matthew Scanlan confirmed that the following statements have been removed from Naadam’s website:
- “Responsible and cruelty-free. From hand combing to providing veterinary care, we promote ethical conditions for the animals behind our raw materials.”
- “We treat our goats the way we want to be treated: responsibly, with love, and without cruelty.”
In our letter, we pointed out that in the cashmere industry, workers typically forcefully restrain goats and tear out their hair with sharp metal combs—a violent procedure that often causes goats to cry out and struggle to escape.
Removing false claims about the hair torn from goats’ skin was the right thing to do, but Naadam should now stop selling clothes that involve cruelty to animals and switch to selling items made of luxurious animal-free materials instead.
Keep reading to see how we pushed for this progress and what you can do to help our fellow animals who are suffering in the clothing industry.
There’s No Cruelty-Free Way to Exploit Goats for Cashmere
PETA sent a letter to Naadam, calling on it to stop trying to deceive customers into thinking that cashmere obtained from gentle goats could ever be “cruelty-free.” To produce cashmere, workers typically pin goats to the ground, bind their legs, and tear out their hair with sharp metal combs.
Goats’ fight-or-flight instinct is deeply ingrained. In the cashmere industry, during these highly stressful and often painful combing procedures, goats often cry out and desperately try to free themselves. Finally, when they’re no longer profitable, they’re sent to slaughterhouses, where it’s common practice for workers to hit them over the head with a hammer and slit their throats.
This terrifying and violent ordeal isn’t considered ‘cruelty-free’ or ‘without cruelty’ by any reasonable consumer, PETA’s letter states.
Naadam’s Misleading Claims
Naadam is trying to pull the cashmere over shoppers’ eyes with several misleading claims, including the following:
- “Responsible and cruelty-free. From hand combing to providing veterinary care, we promote ethical conditions for the animals behind our raw materials.”
- “We treat our goats the way we want to be treated: responsibly, with love, and without cruelty.”
The Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits unfair methods of competition, which include false and misleading advertising. By specifically including these representations in its marketing, Naadam clearly recognizes that consumers value animal welfare and that, at a minimum, goats shouldn’t be subjected to cruelty.
Yet cruelty is inherent in cashmere production, from the combing process to the slaughter of the animals. Therefore, claims that cashmere is “cruelty-free” or “without cruelty” are false and likely to mislead ordinary consumers.
Help Goats Used by the Cashmere Industry
If you see a company engaging in false advertising, politely inform its leadership or customer service that if a product’s not vegan, its production involves violence against animals. Urge the company to remove the misleading marketing immediately and to sell only vegan materials. Check out PETA’s guide to compassionate fashion to keep your closet cruelty-free.
You can also speak up for goats by urging H&M to ban mohair and cashmere:
