Faux Fur and Other Fake-Animal Products
This week at Gooroo, our main focus was exploring what sustainable choices we can make this holiday season. In Gooroo Live, Ariella F. taught us the impact we humans make on our environment. But, the buck doesn’t stop with education. Our actions must speak louder than our words. One choice we can make is with our clothes. We’ve spoken on this blog before about sustainable shopping habits, but not so much the type of materials to look out for. So, in today’s blog we’re discussing faux fur and other fake animal products. And, whether or not their better for the environment than their counterparts.
What is Faux Fur?
Faux fur is known as a pile fabric which is a material engineered to have the appearance and warmth of animal fur.
Humans have been wearing animal fur since the Neanderthals. Historically, its warmth trumped its aesthetic value. Many garments utilised fur including felt hats, coats, wraps, or shawls. In some Northern communities, it is still common for them to make their own clothing using animals they’ve hunted. Especially, those that do not have easy access to imports. What’s more, their following customs which are centuries old.
Faux fur first appeared on the market in 1929. Not only did it promote an animal-friendly alternative, but it was also a lot cheaper to purchase. The early attempts at this imitation used hair from the alpaca. By the 1940s the quality vastly improved with advances in textile manufacture technology. However, it wasn’t until the 1950s with introduction of acrylic polymers that true modern fake fur emerged.
And why do we want to promote animal welfare? Well, alongside animals have feelings we know from Eco Club that affecting the number of animals in an area can be disastrous to an ecosystem. Thus, choosing to go fake stops promoting an industry killing hundreds of thousands of animals a year and decimating the environment as they do so.
Uses
While you may have noticed a faux fur coat, this material finds uses in other objects. These include stuffed animals, fashion accessories, and home decorations like pillows and throw. What’s more, because it can be sewn on a sewing machine, it appears in home craft projects. This is due to real fur being generally thick and thus requires a special machine, hand sewing or an awl.
Other Fake Materials
Faux fur isn’t the only animal-friendly alternative on the planet. Pleater is a material intended to substitute leather in upholstery, clothing, and footwear. It first came about in 19th century Germany as Presstoff. Although, other version like Rexine and Poromerics also existed around the world. Essentially, it created a polyurethane coating to a base fabric to create waterproof qualities and leather-like consistencies.
Which is better for the environment?
So, you may think: okay faux fur is the way to go? But, like all things environmental, it’s a bit more nuanced than that. Going fake is definitely better than buying real because:
- Faux fur requires less energy that real fur.
- As we mentioned, it’s easier to sew.
- And, it does not require cold storage to prevent deterioration and is not prone to being eaten by moths.
However..
- Faux fur is less insulating and breathable than real fur. It also is not able to keep snow from melting and re-freezing on the fiver filaments.
- Additionally, it is les biodegradable. Because of its synthetic material it can take anywhere between 500 to 1,000 years.
This means, choosing the fake option is more sustainable in the present, but proves less resourceful and sustainable in the future. So, what is the solution?
If you can avoid it, don’t buy fake or real fur new. Instead, opt for buying second-hand or vintage. Even if your fur is real, by this point the coat is already made and by thrifting you’re ensuring a quality item that you can pass down for generations, but isn’t going to outlive us all.
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