And lastly, a humane death is never a priority to these farmers. Cows are held upside down and have their throats cut; death comes slow and painfully. A PETA investigation found that alligators, who are farmed only for their skin, are beaten to death with hammers and axes, and are sometimes conscious during the skinning as the farmers don’t even care enough to check that the animal is dead. Imagine the agony! Whether those leather boots are made from a meat-farmed cow or a skin-farmed alligator, one thing is for certain: the animal endured an agonising death. By buying leather one is supporting these evil activities. For a complete catalogue of horrors, I refer to Farmageddon, by Philip Lymbery (Bloomsbury, 2014), an excellent read.
But who says this only concerns animals? The industry kills animals and our environment. The process of leather-tanning (stabilising the protein fibres so as the material does not biodegrade once made into a handbag) relies heavily on toxic substances such as formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, chrome, cyanide and arsenic. These substances contaminate the groundwater and eventually end up in our watercourses! In Kentucky, leukaemia in areas around tanneries is 5 times the national average. Studies on tannery workers in Italy found cancer risks between 20% and 50% due to daily exposure to those harmful substances.
“Morire per una pelliccia”-, a spot on description by Essere Animali which leads me to think, “morire per la moda?!”. By purchasing leather or fur, one is sentencing to death not just the animal, but the environment and countless human beings. Are leather boots or fur coats really worth that? These days there are many excellent alternatives, namely: synthetics, rubber, cotton and linen. Italian fashion houses should be leading the way. Instead, especially in the case of fur, they have chosen to bring back this outdated material, and Italian women are taking to it by the hordes. When I was in Milan last Christmas (2013), fur was everywhere. This is especially strident in Southern Italy where the average winter temperature is 15ºC. One cannot fail to ponder, is it really that cold outside?