Bloodied ‘Birds’ to Ruffle H&M’s Feathers Over Cruel Down Sales

For Immediate Release:
October 23, 2023

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

San Antonio – Just ahead of Halloween, a gruesome spectacle will greet passersby at the Shops at Rivercenter on Wednesday: A flock of nearly nude PETA supporters dressed in faux feathers, dripping “blood,” and wielding biodegradable, eco-friendly red powder “bombs” will swoop down on H&M to call out the company for continuing to sell cruelly obtained down.

When:    Wednesday, October 25, 12 noon

Where:    In front of H&M store at the Shops at Rivercenter, 849 E. Commerce St. (at the intersection of Alamo Plaza and Blum Street), San Antonio

Photo: PETA

A recent PETA Asia investigation into Vietnamese duck farms and slaughterhouses that sold “responsible” down to H&M shows ducks suffering from gaping and bloody wounds, languishing in dirty sheds and lots strewn with feces, and being stabbed in the neck while still conscious. Many of the birds continued to move for more than a minute after workers cut their necks. As a result, H&M removed the “responsible” down label from its offerings—indicating that it knows the designation is a sham—but it continues to sell down jackets.

PETA has released nine exposés of the down industry, each proving that filth, suffering, and violent deaths are industry norms.

“Every down jacket is stuffed with the pain and suffering of terrified birds who died in agony,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on H&M to get cruelly obtained down off its shelves and urges shoppers to buy only warm and cozy vegan materials.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.

For more information on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.