Target: Woody Blackford, Chief Product Officer, Canada Goose
Goal: Start using recycled down in Canada Goose clothing.
Real feather down used to stuff high-end winter jackets is traditionally obtained through “live plucking,” a process that involves painfully ripping feathers off the bodies of live ducks and geese. The naturally water repellant and insulative properties of feathers evolved to keep birds warm and dry in a harsh environment–and down feathers serve a similar purpose in outerwear worn by people. More and more companies, including Patagonia, are turning to the reuse of down through garment recycling programs as a way to avoid participating in animal cruelty. However, too many others continue to rely on the barbarous practice of live plucking.
Canada Goose is a Canadian company which found its roots making functional outerwear for the tough arctic conditions of the great white north. Today, the company has exploded into an international brand for what they call “performance luxury.” In other words, they produce top dollar garments for consumers seeking to keep warm as well as turn heads with the jackets’ look marked with signature red, blue. and white patches.
Luxury has not always shined favorably on animal rights. A few lines in the Canada Goose catalog traditionally have used fur collar from live trapped coyotes. On the plus side, Canada Goose made the pledge to use recycled coyote fur in 2022. Conversely, they do not mention using recycled down, a strong indicator this practice will remain absent from their manufacturing process. Their sustainability statement does say the company is “Responsible Down Certified” (R.D.S.); the R.D.S. website boasts it refrains from using feathers from animals that have endured any “unnecessary harm.” What that means remains unknown.
Sign the petition now to encourage Canada Goose’s Chief Product Officer, Woody Blackford, to implement down buyback and recycling into manufacturing of the company’s products.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear C.P.O. Blackford,
Canada Goose has made quite a name for itself in the outerwear world thanks to your work guiding its products towards success. Trend minded people across the world look to you as a forerunning in fashion. Not only do you set the tone for what stands out in cold weather garments, but clothing manufacturers across the world follow your lead in production methods and how to influence consumers while also bettering the world.
It has not gone unnoticed that your company has made strides in addressing animal cruelty concerns found within Canada Goose’s sourcing of coyote fur. Using reclaimed fur is a fantastic step towards acknowledging and addressing animal abuse in the fashion world and leading the conversation in a direction showing such abuse just is not acceptable. However, one area of your practices which seems to not have the same positive momentum is the sourcing of feathers for down insulated apparel.
A handful of companies have achieved fame by exclusively using recycled down in their products. Instead of throwing out old garments, there are a number of options for consumers to donate clothing for the reuse of specific features, namely feathers. Recycling down gives it years more of good use while sparing waterfowl who may be sacrificed to create new clothing. We believe Canada Goose has the resources to not just make steps towards more ethical down but to make sure no more animals have to die or suffer for your jackets.
Act now to make Canada Goose a recycled down only company.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Wknight94
Find an alternative to down. Milkweed looks promising!
Canada Goose! Might have known!!!
One only needs to search the internet for videos of certain Asian countries paid by the likes of Canada Goose (and many duvet and pillow manufacturers), and watch how brutally these poor birds are treated – some actually dying from the shock of having their feathers ripped out.
DOESN’T GET MUCH MORE BARBARIC THAN THIS!!!! THESE BRANDS SHOULD BE BOYCOTTED, AND PROSECUTED UNDER THE EXISTING LAWS TO PREVENT AND PUNISH ANIMAL ABUSE— WHERE ARE THE ATHORITIES WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO ENFORCING ANIMAL RIGHTS LAWS?????
It’s not right u see what pain they go through just for a coat feathers being pulled out like the bunny’s scream as they pull that fur out ppl just get a water proff coat no 1 needs fur coats alot see it its not right that animal suffered stop abuse to use for clothes pass law for this thank u
OUTRAGEOUS that anyone involved in the manufacture or sale of products based on animal torture is not prosecuted under Animal Protection Laws!!!! WHY THE HELL DO WE FIGHT TO PASS THESE LAWS TO PROTECT ANIMALS FROM THE DEPRAVED, GREEDY BASTARDS IF WE DON’T BOTHER TO ENFORCE THE LAWS??
Exactly!!
100%!! I feel like animal cruelty is something both sides could agree on too! We should focus on that! At least I would hope so…
EXACTLY!!! Example. The trash who put knife through sharks head was illegal. Laws on books but NOT ENFORCRED.Not even fines for these vermin.
YOU ARE EVIL SADISTIC AND HEARTLESS FOR DOING THIS!!!!!
STOP THIS CRUELTY NOW!!!!!!!
ANYONE who would support the production and sale of this torture for profit is in the class of non-human mutants who torture geese for pate de fois gras, slaughter baby seals and dolphins, break the bones of young horses in idiotic rodeo events, and the myriad of other deliberately imposed suffering of animals for greed.
HEAVEN HOPE this mutant strain of humanity never gets to poison other worlds, galaxies or universes.
I totally agree. Perhaps we ought to pull the hair out of their heads and skin them for “real” products which we could sell to animals!
Disgusting practice. If consumers would quit buying these items the cruelty wouldn’t have to happen.
STOP THESE BARBARIC ACT OF ANIMAL ABUSE AND CRUELTY
This is brutally cruel and heartless and unconscionable. This does NOT need to happen. There are more sustainable options available today, such as alternative down in all kinds of products. This should have been BANNED and OUTLAWED a long time ago. This is unacceptable.
Stop filthy bastards!!!
Let’s pluck every hair off these EVIL MORONS that are involved in this sadistic greedy act!
Don’t buy any product with live animal down or any animal product from Canada Goose or any other GREEDY MORON COMPANY!
MAKE THESE PRACTICES ILLEGAL AND SHUT THEM DOWN IF THEY DON’T COMPLY! ALL STORES SHOULD NOT DISPLAY THEM ANY LONGER!
The information is totally wrong. Ducks and geese are raised for the meat and the feathers and down are a byproduct of this industry.
Other than a small amount of hand plucked feathers and down for very high end products the ducks and geese are slaughtered on an assembly line and then stripped of the feathers and down.
YOU’RE the one who is totally wrong.
There is enough documentation and undercover video on this issue for your ignorance to be inexcusable, and the Asian countries where this is done do not follow any humane policies in the least.
Why are you trying to justify this barbarity? You must be a Canada Goose stockholder.
Canada Goose shouldn’t be getting ANY compliments for their dropping coyote fur – it took plenty of protests and letters for THAT. They are not environmental heroes of any kind – they are money-grubbing luxury sellers and their market is hardly environmentalists, it is selfish trendy people who couldn’t care less about the suffering of animals as long as they look good.
STOP BUYING FROM THESE COMPANIES AND DO YOUR RESEARCH – there are a number of outstanding companies that make non-animal, cruelty-free outerwear.
Petitions are fine but lack of money coming in to these companies is better.
These self ‘ jumped – up’ bastards who buy these jackets etc need a bloody good thrashing until they cannot stand.
‘Then’ have their pubic hair ‘ripped’ out to give them a taste of what these innocent birds are subjected to!
I’ll bet afterwards the fuckers would seriously think a dozen times before they even thought about buying one of these again.
But saying that, the shitbags who perform the tortures are really the ones who need very painfully taking out.
Not sure where we go from here but as I have said many times before, Vigilante groups will begin to form and hopefully some justice will be done.
Because the idiot outdated laws and pathetic old braying Judges will never be any use! Waste of bloody time all of them.
Power to any Vigilante groups anywhere!
Money comes first with these evil companies. KARMA is a wonderful thing
This is something that really needs nation attention
How many of us never knew the feathers came from LIVE birds and ducks!!!!
What a painful ordeal and must be felt with.
How many people do not buy these products???? Millions!!
With so much technology going into cloning meat, can’t we invest in cloning feathers too? We have the resources, why are we still torturing animals?! It’s not worth it!!
STOP TEARING FEATHERS OFF OF ALL ANIMALS CRUELLY AND ABUSIVELY WHICH IS TORTURING INNOCENT ANIMALS!!!! ALL PEOPLE needs to STOP BUTING JACKETS WITH ALL AN8MAL FEATHERS IN IT!!!!
THIS IS ANIMAL CRUELTY. DO NOT BUY THRESE CLOTHES
Beyond cruel and torturous!…especially since it is totally unneccessary, with alternative options available that serve the same purpose, and do not require the suffering of innocent animals to obtain! All those involved should be charged and prosecuted for animal abuse. To consumers…you can put an end to all this by not purchasing any clothes or household items made with feathers of animals!
EXACTLY!!!