// Animal rights group PETA becomes shareholder in Boohoo
// The US arm of the organisation will lobby Boohoo to enforce a wool ban
// Boohoo had announced a wool ban in February but backtracked on the decision within hours
The US arm of PETA has become a shareholder in Boohoo to persuade the retailer to ban the sale of garments containing wool.
It comes after Boohoo, which also owns PrettyLittleThing and Nasty Gal, announced plans to enforce a wool ban last month, but within hours it backtracked on the decision.
The original promise saw Boohoo pledge to no longer use wool across all its brands by autumn this year.
Instead, the online retail group said it would continue to use “wool as a sustainable material”.
However, an analysis by The Daily Telegraph showed that Boohoo’s website didn’t sell any items containing wool anyway.
Nonetheless, lobbyists have said wool production was bad for the environment and led to systemic abuse of sheep by shearers.
PETA said that it would use its position as a shareholder to speak to other stakeholders and executives at Boohoo’s AGM later this year.
“It’s time Boohoo group proved that it’s a real leader in global retail by standing by its compassionate initial decision to ban wool,” Peta director of corporate projects Yvonne Taylor told Fashion Network.
“As a shareholder, PETA US will be able to push the retailer’s management to do the responsible thing for shareholders and animals alike by showing that no jumper or scarf is worth kicking, punching, and killing gentle sheep on the shearing floor.”
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