Boohoo has become the first major fashion retailer to ban wool, committing to no longer using the fibre in its products from the autumn/winter season onwards. 

The group, which includes its namesake brand, PrettyLittleThing and Nasty Gal, made the decision in the wake of an appeal from animal rights group PETA which urged the online retailer to take a stand against what it called “shocking, systemic cruelty” in the wool industry.

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In a statement sent to just-style, the retailer said: “The Boohoo group is pleased to confirm that it has committed to omit wool from its product range effective from the autumn/winter season onwards.” 

Since 2014, PETA has released 11 exposés of 99 sheep-shearing facilities on four continents, including in the UK, with what it calls “systemic abuse” found in every one. It claims the wool industry also wreaks havoc on the environment with manure generated from livestock significantly contributing to the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases, large-scale grazing leading to vegetation change and soil erosion, and faecal matter and sheep “dip” (a toxic chemical used to rid sheep of parasites) polluting local waterways. 

Today (15 February), however, it is celebrating Boohoo’s “compassionate, business-savvy decision to scrap wool”.

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“Kind shoppers agree that no jumper or scarf is worth kicking, punching, and killing gentle sheep on the shearing floor, and we’re urging other retailers to follow boohoo’s forward-thinking example,” said PETA director of corporate projects, Yvonne Taylor.

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