Kenneth Cole & Liz Claiborne to boycott Indian leather, says PETA

25 Jul '06

3 min read

At a news conference in Chennai, PETA India announced that US retailer Liz Claiborne – with annual sales of US$4.8 billion – has given PETA US fresh assurances that it will not use leather from India because of the cruel treatment of animals here. Kenneth Cole – another US retailer, with annual sales of US$518 million – has also weighed in, giving its commitment to PETA US that it will not sell leather from Indian animals.

Pointing to seven years' worth of video and photo evidence showing illegal treatment of animals in the Indian leather trade, PETA India and its worldwide affiliates have re-launched a campaign which was put on hold in good faith when the Indian government and the Council for Leather Exports (CLE) promised to take significant steps to ameliorate transport and slaughter horrors for cows and other animals used for leather – a promise which both the government and the CLE have broken.

When PETA US launched its original boycott of Indian leather in 2000, more than 40 major retailers around the world agreed to boycott Indian leather. The Indian leather industry lost an estimated $68 million as a result of these companies' decisions.

The campaign re-launch follows PETA India's verification of a total lack of enforcement of animal welfare standards promised by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and the late Minister of Commerce Murasoli Maran, a refusal by the CLE to stop supporting illegal slaughterhouses and CLE's failure to take significant action to alleviate the immense suffering of animals used for leather.

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