Lush warns about mislabelling of fur products in new campaign

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Nov 6, 2017

Lush has launched a nationwide window campaign across its 103 UK stores to make shoppers aware about the mislabelling of real animal fur as fake.

The campaign, launched in partnership with Humane Society International UK, has been titled ‘#WhatTheFur?’, and uses lenticular technology to show a woman wearing a fur bobble hat which morphs into a fox on a fur farm.

The initiative comes on the back of growing opposition from UK shoppers to buy and sell real fur, and follows reports earlier this year that retailers including House of Fraser and Missguided mis-sold animal fur products as faux fur.

“British consumers will be shocked to learn that they are being duped into buying real animal fur. Partnering with Lush gives us a unique opportunity to reach shoppers across the country who are unaware that trusted brands and independent retailers alike can be caught out selling real animal fur at deceptively cheap prices, described as “faux” or “100% acrylic,” said Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International UK.

The window campaign is being supported in store and online with free wallet-sized guides which can be picked up or downloaded to learn more about the difference between real and faux fur.

HIS UK is also calling on the government to enact a fur labelling regulation so that consumers can avoid fur products they object to ethically, and launched an online petition calling for a ban on fur imports.

“We know from our own experience that what customers want from companies is cruelty free products, transparency and honesty. The public think that, because of public pressure, fur was banished from UK high streets decades ago. They will not thank brands that are either mistakenly or negligently putting real fur onto their customers. It is time for everyone in the supply chain to take responsibility, or customers will lose faith. We are happy to help HSI in this important campaign, to help empower customers and to remind the Government that current fur policy is neither consistent nor in line with public feeling,” said Hilary Jones, director of ethics at Lush.