When speaking to people, I am surprised how many of them don’t know what down is and most certainly don’t know how it is produced. They have never actually asked the question, “what is down” or considered whether it is cruel.
A quick answer is that down is the soft, fluffy feathers found under the waterproof outer feathers of birds. It is an insulator that keeps birds snug and warm in the chilly weather by trapping pockets of air which in turn trap the warmth from their bodies.
It is different from the stiff exterior feathers, these form the protective outer layer, aid in flight and keep them dry in wet conditions but provide very little insulation.
What is down used for?
It is used in some clothing, such as padding in jackets, and bedding, such as duvets and pillows, to keep humans warm.
It is also used in a lot of furniture like sofas.
Why are we talking about down?
In an earlier article, I laid out why it is important to use environmentally friendly bedding and the dramatic effect polyester bedding has on the environment. That article is called ‘Is polyester bedding bad’, to read it please click here.
I mentioned I would be discussing in later blogs why I, as an ethical Vegan, choose to use natural products but will not use down, wool or silk.
The main reason I won’t support the down industry by buying their products is because of how cruelly it is produced.
How is down produced?
There are three ways that the vast majority of down is produced.
- The down is collected after the birds, (predominantly ducks and geese), have been slaughtered. The down is then removed and collected from their breast, belly and flanks.
- The removal and collection of loose feathers by hand from a live and fully conscious bird during moulting. This is the period when birds naturally lose their feathers. The process results in extreme fear for the birds and often injury. Their legs are typically tied and their bodies forcibly restrained in order to pluck them. This process is often repeated multiple times prior to the bird being slaughtered.
What allot of people also don’t realise is that moulting times can vary within a flock, which means some birds are not moulting at the time of harvesting. In this case the feathers are still firmly attached to the body and are forcibly ripped out, causing severe injury and in some cases death. This process is known as “live-plucking”. Workers sew up the wounds they create without using any painkillers, as you can imagine this process is excruciatingly painful.
A huge percentage of down is produced using this process with some statistics showing 50-80% of he worlds supply coming from live ducks. - Live plucking is a generally frowned upon process but is still reported as occurring, specifically in China, Hungary and Poland. This is an excruciating process causing not only physical injury, but extreme stress and fear in these animals. Unfortunately there is not much information available on how prevalent this practice actually is.
I prefer to keep any graphic imagery out of my blogs but if you are interested in seeing exactly how cruel the down industry is I urge you to go onto YouTube and watch a couple of videos if you are considering buying down.
Is there such thing as ethical down?
I asked myself this question recently, I was fairly confident I knew the answer but I believe it is important that we constantly question our beliefs, research and be willing to change our minds.
So once again I reluctantly went down the rabbit hole of how to “use” animals humanely for our own benefit, this time focussing on the down industry.
I found myself on the website of the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) voluntary organisation companies can sign up to in order to certify their down was ethically produced.
Encouragingly, the first sentence of their goals reads: “The Responsible Down Standard aims to ensure that down and feathers come from animals that have not been subjected to an unnecessary harm.” A good start!
However, on further perusal of the site, their interpretation of unnecessary harm is different to mine. Their certified ethical down comes from animals who have been killed prior to plucking. So this didn’t pass the sniff test for me, the word ‘ethical’ should never be applied to the killing of animals for any reason other than to alleviate suffering.
I did, however, stumble upon Eiderdown, and I have gotta say, this stumped me! An ethical vegan for nearly 16 years who has strongly opposed the use of animal products without hesitation, I think I may have to let this one slide! At least until I receive more information that may convince me otherwise.
Eiderdown is painstakingly collected from the nests that wild Eiders, (large sea ducks), leave behind after their young hatch. And while I am sure there are some unscrupulous humans who are willing to exploit Eiders, it seems the common practice is the ethical one I mention above.
I have read some fascinating articles about Icelandic eiderdown “farmers”, who protect the wild ducks when they arrive at their farms each June to make their nests. There the mother gently plucks some of the down from her breast to line the nest and she settles on her eggs for the next 28 days until her babies hatch.
During this time they are vulnerable to foxes and mink as their nests are on the ground so the farmers watch over them at night to ensure they are safe.
When they leave to return to the sea, the farmers collect their fee in the form of the down they have left behind.
This process of ethically harvesting down is kind on animals and the plant, but heavy on the pocket! I have definitely learned something here and will continue to research truly ethical down, not the cruel practice touted by the likes for the Responsible Down Standard.
If you buy down you may be supporting foie gras
Many producers of foie gras increase their profits by also selling down. These poor, tortured birds not only undergo the indignity and cruelty of being force-fed so much corn mush that they get liver disease, they are also regularly plucked.
I will cover the foie gras in another blog, a highly unpleasant subject but with knowledge comes power and with that, we will hopefully see an end to the cruel practice
Why you shouldn’t buy down
Commercially produced down is extremely cruel and unnecessary. I hope after hearing some of the facts above or perhaps watching a video of how it is harvested, you will make the ethical decision to never support the down industry. There are so many wonderful, planet and animal-friendly options out there, birds don’t need to suffer for our comfort.
Saying that, my brief experience with down pillows, (not my pillows but an experience I had at a sleepover when I was young), was that the feathers keep escaping from the cover and the tiny quills can give you a prick and be quite uncomfortable.
It also smells very musty when wet, I find the smell quite distinguishable and can smell it when it is dry so when I smell wet down it is very obvious.
I hope you found this article interesting and that you will make the decision to not buy down products (or any more, if you have already!) and kindly and gently educate others on the horrors of industry.
We love Green People’s organic pet products.
Clicking the image will direct you to their website.
We may earn commission from purchases you make, for which we thank you, it helps us keep writing 🙂 Please read our affiliate disclaimer here.
