WRITTEN BY: Samantha Hayes

Investigative footage from Vietnam’s down industry has uncovered appalling cruelty. Workers were filmed stabbing conscious ducks in the neck and cutting the legs off live, struggling birds. These feathers, later sold under the label “responsibly sourced”, end up in products from brands like H&M, Gap Inc, Lacoste, and Guess. It’s time to demand that these companies abandon down and opt for humane alternatives.

In a duck slaughterhouse in Vietnam, investigators captured horrific scenes. A worker violently grabbed ducks, hanging them upside down in shackles. The worker stepped on the birds to pin them down before shackling them. The shackled ducks were dragged through an electrified water bath that paralysed but did not render them unconscious. A worker then stabbed the ducks in the neck and left them to bleed out, with many continuing to move and suffer for more than a minute.

The Responsible Down Standard (RDS) claims to prevent unnecessary harm in the down supply chain. However, every farm and slaughter facility visited by PETA Asia investigators sells down to RDS-certified suppliers, revealing a starkly different reality. The cruelty uncovered contradicts the RDS’s assurances of humane treatment.

PETA has consistently exposed widespread cruelty in the down industry. Recent investigations by PETA Asia at RDS-certified goose farms in Russia revealed workers stretching geese’s necks across stumps and hacking at them with dull axes, causing immense suffering.

Ducks are social and outgoing animals that thrive in close-knit groups known as paddlings. They swim and fly together in formation and even have regional accents. Ducks experience fear and pain as acutely as humans and have a strong desire to be free from suffering. They need their feathers – we don’t.

H&M, Gap Inc, Lacoste, and Guess have been identified as recipients of down from the suppliers investigated by PETA Asia, confirming they obtain feathers from Vietnam. We must urge these companies to drop down and switch to animal-friendly materials. By supporting cruelty-free alternatives, we can help end the horrific practices uncovered in the down industry.

Demand that these companies stop supporting such cruelty. Ducks deserve better, and so do consumers. Together, we can drive change and ensure a more humane future.