Sydney 8 March 2024 – After intense weeks of campaigning against fashion brand Max Mara to phase-out fur, the Italian brand has reacted: it has removed all fur items from the Fashion Group’s international website. This follows the relentless protest actions in the streets of European capitals and online activities by all partners from the Fur Free Alliance (FFA), to which the global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS belongs. Max Mara has so far refused to discuss the issue and has yet to distance itself publicly by committing to clear phase-out plans. FOUR PAWS will continue calling on the company to follow suit as many of the  major Italian fashion brands such as Armani, Gucci and Versace already went fur-free.

Fur industry - animal cruelty and ecological nightmare

On fur factory farms, wild animals spend their entire lives in wire-bottom cages, deprived of the ability to engage in natural behaviours—only to be killed by gassing or anal-electrocution. In the wild, animals are held in traps for days without food or water until trappers come to retrieve them, often gnawing off their own limb first in a desperate attempt to escape.

Fur production is also environmentally devastating. Fur factory farms and tanneries are extremely harmful to our soil and waterways—pumping waste and the toxic chemicals into the surrounding environment. And the traps responsible for killing wild animals are indiscriminate, often maiming and killing non-target animals, like endangered species and people’s pets. All told, the fur industry is an environmental nightmare.

Now that the majority of consumers want nothing to do with the fur trade, major fashion brands have responded by announcing policies prohibiting the use of fur. Twenty countries throughout Europe have banned fur production because of animal cruelty and risks to the environment and public health. In addition, Israel, California and 14 cities across the U.S. have banned fur sales to create a more humane marketplace and drive innovation.

Fur Free Retailer Program

The Fur Free Retailer Program is the world's leading initiative to connect fur-free businesses with consumers looking for ethically produced products. The program is an initiative of the Fur Free Alliance (FFA), which is active in over 35 countries around the world. The Alliance is an international coalition of over 40 animal welfare organisations working together to end the breeding and killing of animals for their fur. More than 1,500 brands and retailers are now part of the initiative.

FOUR PAWS is the official representative of the Fur Free Retailer Program in Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Germany, the United States and South Africa. The global animal welfare organisation offers support and advice to companies aiming for a demonstrably fur-free new start. To this end, FOUR PAWS is available as a contact and mediator in the high-profile joining of the international FFR Program.