Big Victory for Birds! H&M Bans All New Duck and Geese Down Following Push From PETA Entity
H&M – the second-largest clothing retailer in the world – confirmed to PETA US that it has committed to no longer sourcing new down for any of its brands worldwide, a move that will spare ducks and geese the misery of being plucked and a painful, terrifying death. The announcement comes after appeals from PETA US, including one featuring Joker: Folie à Deux star Joaquin Phoenix, as well as demonstrations at H&M stores around the world, shareholder resolutions, and letters from more than 150,000 PETA entity supporters.
In a move towards eradicating the use of all down – no matter the source – H&M is transitioning to only synthetic or post-consumer recycled down for its jackets and home goods by the end of 2025 or sooner.
In the down industry, highly sensitive, social, and family-oriented ducks and geese are forced to spend their entire lives in filthy sheds or on barren, faeces-filled lots. At slaughterhouses, many of the birds are inadequately stunned before their throats are cut, so they’re often still conscious when they’re dumped into scalding-hot defeathering tanks.
Prior to its campaign, PETA US collaborated with H&M to create the Co-exist Story, which featured FLWRDWN – a vegan down made from wildflowers. The collection, which was offered globally, included other sustainably sourced materials like VEGEA, a leather made from grape skins, and ECONYL, a regenerated nylon created from waste such as fishing nets and fabric scraps.
