Johannesburg, 26 September 2024 - As South Africa Fashion Week (SAFW) sets the stage for Autumn/Winter 2025 collections from the 26th - 28th of September 2024, FOUR PAWS South Africa is seizing this moment to spotlight the darker side of one of fashion’s most beloved fabrics—wool. Wool has long been a staple in winter fashion, prized for its warmth and durability. However, the global wool industry faces growing scrutiny over its use of a harmful practice: live lamb cutting (LLC), also known as mulesing. While South Africa doesn't practice LLC, wool from LLC lambs in Australia can still make its way into fashion globally if brands aren't conscious about where their wool is sourced and ensuring animal welfare within their supply chains. 

Australia is a leading wool producer that supplies 70% of the world’s apparel wool, has been under fire for this painful practice. Two decades ago, Australian wool industry leaders vowed to end LLC by 2010. Yet, 20 years later, this brutal procedure continues, and millions of lambs suffer unnecessarily every year. FOUR PAWS and other global animal welfare organisations are urging South African designers to make ethical fashion choices to ensure they use live lamb cut-free wool, such as wool produced in South Africa. By taking a stand, South African brands can lead the charge in ethical fashion and support a more humane wool industry, helping prevent the suffering of millions of lambs in Australia.  

The Australian Alliance for Animals, FOUR PAWS and Humane Society International Australia have joined forces to call out systemic issues within the wool industry in a new published report, The Broken Promise: The Australian wool industry’s failure to end live lamb cutting, and why government must step in, echoing concerns raised by segments of wool growers themselves on the lack of leadership in changing times. In 2004, Australian wool industry leaders unanimously committed to phasing out live lamb cutting by 2010, in response to international criticism and the threat of a retailer boycott. In 2009, however, just one year before the deadline, the industry abandoned this promise.  

Now 20 years on from the initial promise, Australia remains the only country still practising live lamb cutting, tarnishing its reputation and leaving wool producers vulnerable to market disruption as hundreds of fashion brands commit to no longer using wool from live lamb cut sheep. It is estimated that 140 million lambs have experienced the mutilation since 2010 as a result of the broken promise. The report features insights from wool growers who have taken lead on their own and are successfully breeding flystrike-resistant sheep as a humane and effective solution, offering full body protection from fly strike. This ends their need to use live lamb cutting, which is viewed as a cheap and fast way to prevent flystrike, but is out-of-date, inflicts animal suffering, and is fast becoming a non-negotiable issue for many brands sourcing wool.  

With over 330 brands now sourcing at least a portion of their wool as certified live lamb cut free (non-mulesed) or having made a time bound commitment to do so, the public sentiment is clear. Almost 90 brands including Adidas, Hugo Boss, Zara and Mango are also taking it a step further, by publicly signing the FOUR PAWS Brand Letter of Intent calling on the Australian wool industry to make the transition. Should they not be able to get supply from Australia they will go elsewhere, and some have. 

"As we celebrate creativity and innovation in fashion, it's critical to recognise that some of the most sought-after textiles have a devastating cost. It’s time for growers to be steered in the right direction to align with what the consumers want, and for the sake of the 10 million lambs that suffer annually. Live lamb cutting is a cruel and outdated practice, and it’s time for fashion brands to prioritise animal welfare in their sourcing decisions," says Fiona Miles, Director of FOUR PAWS. The Broken Promises Report highlights how the Australian wool industry has let down not only sheep, but also consumers, brands, and the environment by continuing LLC despite having humane alternatives.  

During SA Fashion Week FOUR PAWS calls for ethical fashion. Wool features heavily in winter collections for its warmth and luxury, but ethical sourcing must take priority. Fashion has the power to influence societal change, and FOUR PAWS urges designers, brands, and consumers to make responsible choices by rejecting wool sourced from LLC practices. "Ethical fashion is not a trend; it's a movement. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the story behind the fabrics they wear, and we call on South African designers and fashion leaders to lead by example by committing to cruelty-free wool," Miles adds. 

The FOUR PAWS LLC Awareness Campaign will officially launch on October 8th, 2024, coinciding with the international release of a powerful awareness video telling the story of Sunny, a lamb who survived the cruelty of LLC. This 3D stop-motion animation, alongside celebrity ambassadors, will urge global consumers and brands to sign a petition calling for the end of LLC by 2030. 

For more information visit our website on https://www.four-paws.org.za/  

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