Giordano, the Hong Kong clothing chain, has joined a campaign aimed at combating Australian wool due to allegations of sheep cruelty, a move that activists have greatly appreciated.
Animal rights organizations have targeted the practice known as “mulesing,” which involves removing a piece of flesh from lambs’ rear ends to prevent them from succumbing to flystrike—a condition caused by flesh-eating maggot infestations.
According to the retailer, which operates over 2,400 stores across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, “We will encourage our vendors to refrain from using wool sourced from mulesed sheep, provided that viable commercial alternatives exist.”
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), based in the US and a leading advocate against mulesing—which they label as “barbaric”—praised Giordano for setting a “worthy example” and called on other retailers to do the same.
“People in China and throughout Asia are appalled to discover Australia’s hidden issue, mulesing,” stated Jason Baker, PETA Asia’s vice-president.
As a result of PETA’s initiatives, prominent fashion brands like Hugo Boss, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Adidas have opted to avoid Australian wool.
On the other hand, Australian farmers—who represent one of the world’s largest wool producers—argue that mulesing is essential to prevent numerous slow and painful fatalities among the sheep.
