PETA U.S. Complaint Prompts Canada Goose to Change False, Misleading Marketing
Canada Goose is trying to pull the polyester over shoppers’ eyes. After the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) conducted an investigation into Canada Goose’s advertising practices, the company altered its language (that pertained to “ethical” sourcing)—but other than a few words, not much has changed, as coyotes and geese are still being killed for the brand’s garments.
Following PETA U.S.’ complaint to the FTC, Canada Goose no longer claims that its standards “ensure” that suppliers don’t abuse animals. The company also removed its “down traceability” video featuring former down supplier James Valley Colony Farms Ltd.
A PETA U.S. exposé showed workers from James Valley Colony Farms herding geese into piles (resulting in suffocation), stepping on panicked geese, carrying them by their necks, and cramming them into densely packed cages. From there, the birds were transported on a five-hour-plus journey to the slaughterhouse, where workers shackled them, hung them upside down, and slit their throats as other birds watched. While Canada Goose insists that it was no longer using this farm to obtain its down at the time of the exposé, the practices of the company’s former supplier are a far cry from ethical.
Canada Goose continues to deceive consumers, implying to them that its standards ensure that the animals raised or trapped and killed for its garments lead blissful lives.
In reality, the company’s animal welfare standards are laughable at best. By the company’s trapping standards, coyotes can be left in traps—where they may have sustained injuries such as a broken leg or lacerations—for up to 72 hours. If the animals are still alive when the trapper finds them, they may be shot, bludgeoned, or cruelly killed in some other manner.
All down comes from sensitive, complex, and intelligent birds who are eventually killed in a violent way. No matter which supplier the material is sourced from, birds used by the down industry are inevitably sent to the slaughterhouse, where standard practice is to hang them upside down, stun them, and then slit their throats, often while they are still conscious.
PETA urges shoppers to look behind Canada Goose’s aspirations and implications and see the suffering in every stitch of its coats.
Remember: The only ones who need the fur and feathers are the coyotes and geese themselves. Canada Goose may not want you to know about the cruelty inherent in every fur-trimmed, feather-stuffed jacket it makes—but that won’t stop us from exposing it. Demand that the company stop using animal-derived materials for its clothing and accessories today.
