Izzy Lane by Andrew Forsyth
The RSPCA is launching its annual campaign to get all welfare-conscious fashion companies around the UK, to enter this year's RSPCA Good Business Awards, which recognise ethical business approaches to animal welfare.
This latest announcement comes hot on the heels of new research showing that UK consumers are increasingly concerned about animal welfare when buying products.
The RSPCA Good Business Awards fashion category is looking to reward fashion retailers that can demonstrate excellent policies with regards to fur, leather skins and merino wool. It is free to enter, and companies can go to rspcagoodbusinessawards.com to download an entry form.
Proving how all businesses should strive to make animal welfare an integral part of their ethical policy, new RSPCA research by Ipsos MORI1 has found that 59% of British consumers see animal welfare as an important ethical issue to consider when buying a product, up from 48% two years ago.
Human rights (58%), fair trade goods (51%) and protecting the environment (50%) are also considered important ethical issues that should be considered in addition to factors such as price and quality.
David Bowles, RSPCA Head of External Affairs, says: "In the past year retailers have responded to a demand for welfare-friendly fashion. Customers need to be sure the fur they are buying is definitely fake, and the animal whose skin was used to make their leather handbag was kept, transported and slaughtered humanely.
"This is the fifth year of the Good Business Awards and we want to reward the efforts being made by fashion companies - both large and small - that go the extra mile to promote animal welfare and recognise that consumers haven't left behind their ethical beliefs in a quest for value."
One of the judges, designer Wayne Hemingway, says: "The importance placed on animal welfare in the fashion industry is especially pressing at the moment given the worrying return of fur to the catwalks at the recent Autumn/Winter '09 shows.
"However, we are beginning to see the tide turn away from disposable fashion and towards a more sustainable focus on quality and ethics.
"Research doesn't lie and many more of today's shoppers are concerned about the origin of the items they purchase, and how they were produced. There is a real need for the fashion industry to shape up, shun fur and focus on policies regarding the sourcing of leather/skins and merino wool."
Last year's winners for achieving higher standards of animal welfare were: Izzy Lane in the small retailer category, M&S in the large retailer category and Natural Collection for demonstrating an ongoing commitment to change.
All entries for the 2009 awards will be judged by an independent panel of industry experts. Winners will be promoted on the RSPCA Good Business Awards website and achievements will be detailed in an ethical consumer guide to choosing higher welfare companies.
Entrants this year will be judged on the basis of their practices in the following areas:
- Commitment to not using or selling Karakul lambskin pelts
- Fur-free policies
- Policies on the sale of exotic skins
- Policies on the sourcing of merino wool
- Sourcing and traceability of leather including cow, sheep or pig hide
- Innovation over the past 12 months in relation to animal welfare
- Company aspirations regarding animal welfare
- Labelling and communicating policies to customers
For more information go to rspcagoodbusinessawards.com or contacting the RSPCA Good Business Awards team on 0300 123 0488.
The entry deadline is 30 June 2009. The RSPCA Good Business Awards evening soiree will be held at One Marylebone London on 7 October 2009.