PETA files FTC complaint against Sustainable Fibre Alliance

As part of an ongoing crackdown into the alleged malpractices of certification programmes, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has submitted a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding the operations of the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA).

According to the animal welfare organisation, the alliance – which counts the likes of Burberry, Ralph Lauren and J.Crew among its 50 plus members – is “misleading consumers” with its Cashmere Standard certification.

The complaint specifically highlights that that standard’s claim to “ensure the welfare of goats” falls through due to the allegation that it “allows for many cruel industry-standard practices”.

It follows a recent investigation by PETA Asia into cashmere operations in Mongolia, where it said that it found evidence of “rampant cruelty” among supposed “SFA-certified producers” – including Khanbogd Cashmere LLC and ULEMJ Cashmere LLC.

Among PETA’s allegations, the nonprofit said that the SFA’s current standard “doesn’t require pain relief”, “allows for the slaughter of goats no longer desired for cashmere production” and doesn’t require producers to “comply with the so-called ‘best practice’ guidelines in order to become or remain SFA-certified”.

PETA is asking the FTC to require SFA to remove all “misleading claims” from marketing and issue “corrective statements” that outline how animals under its operations are treated.