One of America’s leading fashion retailers, Nordstrom, has announced that it will be ending the sale of fur and animal skins by 2021. This move comes at a time when the world is faced with various environmental issues that are forcing many people to rethink their lifestyle choices, including what is in their wardrobes. The company has partnered with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to implement the plan. This now means that all products made from fur or any other animal-derived material will not be sold at Nordstrom stores, including Nordstrom Rack and Last Chance, or at its online stores by the end of 2021.
Nordstrom’s chief marketing officer, Teri Bariquit, announced that the company wanted to honor its customers’ wishes by updating the products it offers. “As part of our ongoing product evolution, we’ve been working with the Humane Society of the United States and recently made the decision to stop offering products made with genuine fur or exotic animal skin in any of our stores or online,” Bariquit said. “Our private label brands haven’t used these materials for years, so extending this policy to all the brands we carry is a natural next step for our business.”
Related: Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s to be fur-free by 2021
The decision was welcomed by HSUS, with the organization’s CEO Kitty Block praising the brand for banning not just fur but also other animal skins.
“We applaud Nordstrom for ending the sale of fur and becoming the first United States-based retailer to ban exotic animal skins,” Block said. “This is a pivotal step toward a more humane business model and a safer world for animals.”
Although Nordstrom is taking a positive step forward, the decision comes after years of push and pull between the retailer and the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The group has been demanding that Nordstrom and other retailers stop selling products made out of animal fur and skin since 1999. In 2019, PETA released an investigation showing how Nordstrom was helping to fuel the fur trade in Russia. Now, PETA is calling on other retailers to follow in the footsteps of Nordstrom in an effort to create a better world for both humans and animals.
Via VegNews
Image via Nordstrom
