LVMH funds fur lobby: animal advocates call for boycott
Major brands are channelling money into the fur lobby even as the industry continues to shrink. An investigation has revealed that luxury giant LVMH — whose portfolio includes well-known labels such as Louis Vuitton, Dior and Givenchy — transferred 300'000 euros to the International Fur Federation (IFF) in 2024 to prop up the beleaguered fur industry.
While the notorious fashion conglomerate is well known for repeatedly defending the use of fur in its brands' collections, its active support of an association dedicated to preserving this cruel industry will come as a surprise to many consumers.
Confidential documents, published by GAIA and Respect for Animals, also reveal the strategies the IFF is pursuing in the face of the ongoing collapse of the fur sector, as it seeks relocation strategies while the EU considers a possible ban on fur farms.
Ukraine targeted as new fur farming region
Alarmingly, the plans reveal that Ukraine is being considered as a potential alternative region for establishing new fur farms.
They also show how the IFF is attempting to lure younger fashion designers and younger consumer markets through communication campaigns aimed at concealing the cruelty of fur behind an ecological image. The animal welfare problem of the fur industry is plain to see.
On fur farms, wild animals such as mink, foxes and raccoon dogs are deprived of their natural behaviours — such as swimming, hunting or running — causing them to develop behavioural disorders including self-mutilation.
«Consumers must know that by purchasing products from Dior, Givenchy, Kenzo or Louis Vuitton, they are indirectly supporting animal cruelty. We call on the public to boycott all LVMH brands as long as they continue to participate in the mistreatment and slaughter of animals.» Ann De Greef, Executive Director, GAIA
EU considers complete fur farming ban
Just a few weeks ago, GAIA published shocking images from a fur farm in Poland revealing severe cruelties inflicted on these wild animals. In the EU, there are 21 member states where fur production is wholly or partially banned on grounds of animal welfare and public health.
The European Commission is considering a complete ban (a final decision is expected by 2026), after 1.5 million citizens called for a fur-free Europe. GAIA is urging LVMH to immediately cease its use and funding of the fur lobby, and is calling on the public to challenge the corporation via the website stoplvmh.be. LVMH talks about ethics, yet actively funds the cruel exploitation of fur animals. More on animal rights.
More on the subject of recreational hunting: In the dossier The Role and Criticism of Recreational Hunters we shed light on the training, power and self-image of recreational hunters. What the research says about this is shown by Hunting fact-checked: the state of research.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
