As awareness rises and the practices of companies like Canada Goose are exposed, the public’s demands for safer, more sustainable materials and practices are at an all time high. Thus, Canada Goose began the journey to become an eco-conscious clothing brand.
In April 2020, the brand initially announced it would stop buying new fur from trappers and would instead use reclaimed and recycled fur. However, the general consensus was that real-fur was a real problem, recycled or not. Canada Goose vowed to completely eliminate all authentic furs from their clothing lines and replace them with synthetic alternatives.
For many centuries, high-end fashion and sustainability did not exactly co-exist hand-in-hand. On average, 23 kg of greenhouse gases are generated for each kilogram of fabric produced. To be clothed and comfortable is a luxury that many people in the world struggle with daily. While Thrift and Secondhand Stores continue to exist, there is an average price increase of over 15% within thrift stores in the United States within the past three years. Secondhand clothing is not as financially viable as it was once intended to be. So where does that leave us? Clothes rip, clothes become worn out, and most people will grow out of them before they even get the chance to wear it 50 times.
One of the leaders in this industry for many years has been Canada Goose. Since 1957, Canada Goose has been a giant in the outerwear industry, most known for their down-filled jackets lined with fur to help protect against the abrasive Canadian winters. However, they have not always been met with an open embrace from the public. PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has been clashing with Canada Goose for years, staking out stores to protest in front of, against the production and purchase of their jackets.
Canada Goose had been exposed for inhumanely contributing to the fur and down industry for decades. The fur that lines the hoods come from coyotes that are painfully trapped, stripped of their fur, and discarded. While the down feathers that fill the jackets for warmth come from geese that are stunned, hung upside down to bleed out, then separated from the feathers that were ripped from their skin.
To any reader, this should make your skin crawl. For many centuries, clothing has been created from animal by-products (like the hide), thus no parts of the animal went to waste. In contemporary times, this is no longer the case. Animals are abused, left to suffer in cruel, inhumane conditions, and then ignorantly discarded for the sake of fashion.
As awareness rises and the practices of companies like Canada Goose are exposed, the public’s demands for safer, more sustainable materials and practices are at an all time high. Thus, Canada Goose began the journey to become an eco-conscious clothing brand.
In April 2020, the brand initially announced it would stop buying new fur from trappers and would instead use reclaimed and recycled fur. However, the general consensus was that real-fur was a real problem, recycled or not. Canada Goose vowed to completely eliminate all authentic furs from their clothing lines and replace them with synthetic alternatives.
In addition to this, Canada Goose has reinvented one of their symbolic parkas which generates 30% less carbon emissions and requires 65% less water throughout its life cycle, while other jackets will be manufactured from completely recycled nylon to reduce single-use resources necessary for production.
By the year 2025, Canada Goose plans to make 90% of its product materials — including faux fur — organic, and move to 100% recycled packaging. For many Canadians familiar with Canada Goose as a staple in winterized clothing, this is a huge win for animal and environmental activists and supporters all over the world. While they will still continue to use down feathers in their jackets, there is a glimmer of hope that one day Canada Goose will be animal by-product free, and replaced with a comfortable, sustainable, and fashionable alternative for consumers to love.
It is our hope at Eco Four Twenty, that large corporations will follow in the footsteps of Canada Goose. This company is a perfect example of how environmental consciousness has the ability to redesign the fashion industry towards a brighter future for the earth.