PETA Buys Stock in Bed Bath & Beyond to Move It Beyond Feathers

PETA has purchased stock in Bed Bath & Beyond to move the company to stop selling items made with down from ducks and geese, who are often restrained while workers yank out fistfuls of feathers from their delicate skin. The homeware retailer already sells hundreds of items made with down-free materials, including PrimaLoft, and as a stockholder, PETA will be able to submit shareholder resolutions and to attend and speak at the company’s annual meetings to push for a completely feather-free inventory.

“PETA hears every day from compassionate consumers who want to support companies that share their values,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “By offering only down-free options, Bed Bath & Beyond would ensure that its customers sleep easy on clean and comfortable bedding that didn’t come from bleeding birds.”

In the down industry, workers commonly clamp live birds upside down between their knees and rip out handfuls of feathers as the animals struggle and shriek in pain. Birds are often plucked so violently that their skin rips open, leaving them with gaping wounds, which workers then sew up with a needle and thread—without painkillers. Duck and goose farms also produce massive amounts of manure and slaughter waste—which pollute the air, water, and land—and are a leading producer of the greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to climate change. All ducks and geese are also slaughtered when their usefulness wears out.

Modern, high-quality down-free options are widely available and come in plush, eco-friendly options that are often made with recycled materials.