Does Fashion Need To Cost Lives?: The Real Price Of Fashion

2054 cases of wildlife killing or illegal trafficking were registered in Indian between 2018 and 2020, as per details made public recently by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change. Of this figure, 648 cases were registered in 2018, 805 cases were registered in 2019 and the number dropped to 601 in 2020. While this seems like just a number for a regular citizen sitting far away from gruesome situations countless animals face on a daily basis, the number of cases registered over the last three years represent turtles, wild cats, birds, mongooses, pangolins and Tibetan antelopes that were killed or illegally trafficked.

The Lesser-Known Species In Danger

In 2019, as a part of “Operation Softgold”, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) seized 350 Shahtoosh Shawls that were made of Chiru (Tibetan Antelope) wool. In another instance, the Delhi customs department seized 60 Shahtoosh shawls, also in 2019, a case that has recently been taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which has registered a case against a Delhi-based export house in connection with the illegal trafficking. The Tibetan Antelope has been listed as endangered species in Schedule 1 of Wildlife (Prevention) Act and hence the trading of Shahtoosh shawls is banned. As per Biologist Daniel Schneider, four antelopes are killed to make one Shahtoosh shawl, which lasts only five years.

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But the Chiru isn’t the only animal facing slaughter and illegal trading. WCCB’s “Operation Clean Art” in October 2019 to drag the attention of enforcement agencies towards illegal wildlife trade in Mongoose hair brushes resulted in the arrest of 43 wildlife offenders and seizure of 54,352 mongoose hair brushes and 113 Kgs of raw Mongoose hair, pointing towards illegal wildlife trade in mongoose hair.

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While these are some lesser-known animals put in danger for fashion or beauty products, some more commonly trafficked and poached animals include wild cats (for their fur and skin) and the Asian and African elephant for its tusks for jewellery.

Uncovering Wildlife Scandals

The Asian elephant, found mainly in the Indian subcontinent and South-eastern Asia, was classified as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN Red List, in early 2020. The elephants face habitat loss and fragmentation as well as illegal killing for their ivory, and as per latest reports, even their skin, for a growing demand in elephant skin jewellery. A 2018 report by UK-based non-profit, Elephant Family, uncovered that the main market for elephant skin was located in China, where subcutaneous fat from elephants was being used to make red bead-like jewellery. The beads, which essentially look like garnets or rubies are red because of the blood they contain from blood vessels present in subcutaneous layers. While an ivory-trade ban in China (one of the main markets for ivory trades) helped reduce the demand for elephant tusks, it fails to completely protect the species. In August 2021, Reuters reported the seizure of 44 kg of elephant tusks in Nigeria.

Beaded jewellery made from elephant skin | Image Source: Nationalgeographic.com

Snake and crocodile skin has been used across the fashion industries for leather goods like bags, shoes and more, fetching a much higher price for goods made of cow leather. In a 2021 investigation by PETA Asia into a Vietnam farm that is a snakeskin supplier, many gruesome conditions came to the surface. The organisation released videos and pictures explaining how snakes were inflated to death and eventually skinned. Not to mention the inhumane conditions they’re kept captive in. Workers were seen minus any layers of protection like gloves masks etc. exposing them to diseases difficult to foresee. The reptile skin trade was valued at $295 million in 2019, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).

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Closer to home, 2020, the year of lockdown, saw a 10 per cent increase in tiger poaching cases in India. As per the environment ministry, the 2018 tiger census showed 101 tiger deaths. The number fell to 96 in 2019 and was up again at nearly 106 in 2020. Big cats like tigers, leopards and snow leopards have been a target in India for their fur which is used to make expensive fur coats. Reports of missing tigers from Ranthambore as well as 20 leopard skins and two cases of poaching have also been reported by the Odisha Forest Department in 2021. Apart from leopard skins, the Special Task Force also recovered six elephant tusks, two deer skins, two live pangolins and five kilos of pangolin scales from Odisha over the last year. Pangolins, another endangered animal are being used for their scale to make handbags.

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Indian Laws

Even as harmful conditions for wildlife seem rampant in India, laws to protect wildlife in the country have been in place for a while. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 prohibits the illegal capturing, killing, buying and selling of animals and animal parts. In 2017, the government of India also banned the import of exotic skins of reptiles like crocodiles and alligators and animals like fox, mink and chinchillas.

In June 2020, the central government announced a voluntary disclosure scheme that urged Indians to declare possession of any exotic live species from their native region. No action would be taken even if owners lacked proper documentation. While the scheme was an attempt to regulate and monitor the wildlife trade in the country, the scheme can be easily used to smuggle exotic species for monetary gain even without proper documentation.

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The only ray of hope seems to be the fall in the number of reported wildlife crime incidents as per data accessed by Indo-Asian News Service (IANS). From 601 in 2020 the number of wildlife crime cases dropped to 281 in 2021. The WCCB’s 'species-specific operations' like Save Kurma, Turtshield, etc, particularly along the borders of India with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal have proved to deliver some relief in the matter. The operations have so far seized large quantities of ivory, rhino horns, tiger skins/body parts/ bones, leopard skins, pangolins, turtles, mongoose hair, monitor lizards, shark fins, sea horses and more.

Exotic Skins Are The New Fur

The real difference, however, can only be made if active participants of the trade decide to step back; consumers need to be more mindful of what they buy and where it comes from, whereas brands need to take a call on cutting back on the amount of unethical sourcing of animal-derived products.

A powerful global movement against the use of fur panning the last few years was highly instrumental in bringing many big players in the fashion industry like Prada, Burberry, Chanel, Versace, Diane von Furstenberg, Gucci, Michael Kors and many more. Publication house Elle also recently announced that it will stop featuring fur in all its titles to support animal welfare. The last few decades have made the fur ban an increasingly basic necessity in order for brands to be conscious and sustainable.

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The same wave of bans has come into play when it comes to exotic skins. Across the global fashion industry, snakes, crocodiles, kangaroos, giraffes etc have been used for handbags coats and other accessories. However, in recent years, luxury brands like Chanel, Mulberry, Paul Smith, Victoria Beckham, Vivienne Westwood, the SMCP group, Diane von Furstenberg and Selfridges have discontinued the use of such exotic animals in their collections. In 2020, 2020 Stockholm Fashion Week banned both fur and exotic skins from the showcase.

What can you do?

As someone on the consumer end of fashion, what one can do is be aware of what you buy and where it comes from. There are numerous brands that keep transparency at the forefront when it comes to their supply chains.

Here’s a list of sustainable, cruelty-free accessories you can opt for: Read here