H&M Group to Ban Mohair by 2020

A large group of fashion retailers pledged this week to no longer use mohair in their clothing collections. Retail companies Arcadia Group (which consists of eight brands including Topshop), Gap Inc. (which includes Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta), Inditex (which consists of six brands including Zara), and all eights brands within the H&M Group will be mohair-free by 2020. The decision comes after an expose conducted earlier this year by animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) at 12 mohair farms in South Africa—which supplies 50-percent of the world’s supply of the animal-based material—revealed egregious cruelty to angora goats and their young. Workers were shown dragging goats by their tails and throwing them across the sheering floor, while neglecting younger animals. “Baby goats were left screaming in pain and fear on the shearing floor, all for mohair sweaters and scarves,” PETA Director of Corporate Affairs Anne Brainard said. “PETA is urging shoppers to check clothing labels carefully and, if it says ‘mohair,’ leave it on the rack.”