Schuh parent company bans alpaca fleece after PETA appeal

Schuh's parent company, Genesco, has announced it will ban the use of alpaca fleece following an exposé by PETA, revealing the inhumane treatment the animals face during shearing.

Genesco has agreed to ban alpaca fleece from all its brands, including Schuh. In a small gesture of thanks, PETA is sending the company a box of vegan chocolates.

The PETA investigation into the world's largest privately owned alpaca farm in Peru, Mallkini shows that workers mistreated the animals whilst sheering them for wool.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to wear" – notes that in addition to causing alpacas suffering, the production of alpaca wool is terrible for the planet.

The Higg Materials Sustainability Index ranks alpaca wool as the second most environmentally damaging material after silk, noting that it's six times as harmful as polyester and more than four times as damaging as viscose, acrylic, and other vegan materials.

PETA Director of Corporate Projects Yvonne Taylor, said: “Alpacas are prey animals who are terrified of being pinned down, making the crude shearing process even more traumatic for them. PETA is celebrating Genesco’s compassionate decision, which recognises alpacas as individuals, not accessories.”

Genesco previously banned angora and mohair after previous PETA exposés. The company now joins Marks and Spencer, Next, New Look, Matalan, UNIQLO, Ted Baker, Esprit, Valentino, and many other brands in banning alpaca.

In April 2020, PETA bought stakes in two dozen brands and retailers, to use its position as a shareholder to exert pressure on them to ban wool, mohair and cashmere products.