Real Fur Vs Faux Fur
Real Fur Vs Faux Fur
Processing of fur
- The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on. Fur processing involves an array of chemicals from soaking and degreasing agents, to enzymes, oils and greases, bleaches, dyes, reinforcing agents, toners, tanning and finishing chemicals. Workers exposed to dust created during fur processing have been shown to have reduced pulmonary function in direct proportion to their length of exposure.
- In contrast, leather made from any animal hide involves removing the fur from the skin and using only the tanned skin. The use of wool involves shearing the animal's hair from the living animal, so that the wool can be re grown. Fake fur or "faux fur" designates any synthetic material, produced from oil, that attempts to mimic the appearance and feel of real fur.
- The chemical treatment of fur to increase its felting quality is known as carroting, as the process tends to turn the tips of the fur a yellowish-red "carrot like" color.
- Why Real Fur?
- Real fur cannot be matched for its beauty, softness and glamour. The attraction of real fur is also in its touch, its feel, and in its three-dimensional quality. Designers speak of the way real fur plays with light and movement.
- Furthermore, real fur is a natural sustainable product, delivering rare benefits in sustaining fragile habitats and communities. This contrasts with most ‘fake’ fur which is manufactured from non-renewable petroleum based products.
- Real fur is a durable material – quite the opposite of disposable fashion. Provided it is well looked after, real fur will continue to look good for many years. Real fur can be re-styled into different pieces as fashion changes.
- Warmth: Fur is still Nature's most beautiful answer to Winter - the ultimate in luxurious cold-weather protection!
- Fashion: The classic elegance of fur is always in style, as Karl Lagerfeld, Fendi, Yves St.-Laurent and other international designers have shown yet again this year, fur is everywhere. Just look through any top fashion magazine!
- Practical: A garment for all occasions. Worn with blue jeans or with an evening gown, you will look and feel terrific in fur! Comfort: Soft, sensual, cozy, and lightweight - there is simply nothing to equal the pleasure and natural luxury of wearing fur!
- Long Lasting: Fur is a naturally durable fiber that should last for many years. You needn't be over-protective - wear your fur and enjoy it!
- Environmental Friendly: A fine natural product, fur is also biodegradable and a renewable resource - unlike polyester, fake furs and other petroleum-based synthetics.
- Responsible Conservation: Furs used in the trade are abundant; strict government controls ensure that no endangered species are ever used. Sustainable use of wildlife is endorsed by all major conservation organizations including the International Conservation Union and the World Wildlife Fund.
- Supporting Livelihoods & Cultures: When you buy fur, you support thousands of aboriginal and other Canadians living on the land - people who have a direct interest in protecting vital wildlife habitat!
- Is fur really green?
- Consumers wading into the debate will find a spate of arguments on the merits and harms of fur. A counter argument meets every argument in the fur debate.
- Many activists including PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) cite a 1979 University of Michigan study that found the process of rearing ranch-raised animals consumes 20 times the energy as compared with a synthetic fur coat. Meanwhile, the FCC says that up to four liters of petroleum is used to make synthetic coats.
- Similarly, the anti-fur lobby argues that furs are not eco-friendly because chemicals including chromium and formaldehyde are used to treat them. However, the FCC says that while small amounts of formaldehyde are used in the tanning process, fur pelts are primarily treated with natural products including table salt, water and lanolin.
- Finding middle ground in the debate can be difficult. But at the very least, the campaign is spurring relevant and important discussions, says John Fryxell, a zoology professor at the University of Guelph.
- Fryxell says that he doesn't subscribe to the idea that trapping is essential to maintain the health of wildlife populations but he notes that human use of animals can be sustainable. He also notes people who stand to benefit from wildlife tend to be active in protecting their habitats.
- "On the other hand, there have been some very heated debates about fur trapping and those arguments also need to be taken into consideration.… It's not clear-cut one way or the other but we're going to have make choices between .
- Fur Vs Faux Fur
- Faux fur is quite merely fake fur. Faux, which is pronounced like the word “foe,” is French for "not real."Synthetic?" "Acrylic?" Faux fur is made from a mixture of coal, oil, water, and limestone. Coal is a non-renewable resource that must be mined (causing massive damage to the environment) and is the leading one of the causes of air pollution.
- Oil is a non-renewable resource that must be drilled and refined and is also one of the leading causes of air pollution. Both are also leading producers of greenhouse gases. Limestone must be mined, further causing environmental damage. This is to get the raw materials themselves.
- The faux fur must still be artificially processed, a time consuming process that produces chemical waste that is emptied into rivers, stored underground to leach into the soil, an further pollutes the air. Think, this is the process for all synthetics, not just faux fur. Why simply kill animals for food and clothing when you can destroy the whole planet?
- Real fur is stronger, it is warmer, it is softer, it is heavier, it is gross
- Nothing is as warm as real dead animal skin. Eskimos don't wear North Face Parkas. They use the real thing, because if they don't, they will freeze to death and die. If you eat meat, you are the same as those that wear fur or leather. Do you wear a leather belt? How about shoes?! It sure is hard to boycott leather shoes, especially if you have to wear a suit. Well, it is the same as fur.
- On a motorcycle, nothing protects you like leather. Condor will melt to your skin and it's slippery so you will slide three times the distance of leather's braking attributes against asphalt. Leather and fur are real and have valid uses. Faux is fake and for fashion.
Conclusion
- Invest in real fur and leather is the most ethical choice. In Canada, there are number of responsible fur harvesters. It's a more sustainable economic activity than many of the other manufacturing activities that produce fashion materials (such as petroleum based plastics and other polluting processes to create technical fabrics, polyesters and PVC). I always wonder why those concerned with ethics in fashion don't further dissect the materials whose manufacture contributes to climate change, pollution and habitat destruction - in effect causing more deaths (and eventual extinctions) of fur-bearing animals than the fur industry could hope to achieve.
- No matter how hard you try, you will find yourself using animal products in some aspect of your life. Do a little research and you’ll find out just how much you depend on animal products to get you through the day, even if you believe you live a pristine vegan lifestyle.
- Surprise, you’re just a “guilty” as the rest of us. So unless you enjoy being a complete hypocrite, stop with the self righteous preaching and educate yourself
- Natural materials (plant and animal fibers along with fur) are in general less destructive than fake fur and other synthetic materials
