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Israel Becomes the First Country to Ban Fur

A woman wears a fur coat and a face mask in Paris | Source: Getty Images
A woman wears a fur coat and a face mask in Paris | Source: Getty Images (Edward Berthelot)

The country passed an amendment this week to ban its fashion industry from using fur. The legislation, which goes into effect in six months, would make Israel the first country in the world to do so. 

“Using the skin and fur of wildlife for the fashion industry is immoral and is certainly unnecessary,” Gila Gamliel, the country’s environmental protection minister told the Jerusalem Post. “Animal fur coats cannot cover the brutal murder industry that makes them. Signing these regulations will make the Israeli fashion market more environmentally friendly and far kinder to animals.”

Many fashion brands, including Gucci, Burberry, VersacePrada, Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger have stopped using fur. In 2019, California became the first state in the US to ban the production and sales of fur. Brands that still use fur, including Canada Goose, are frequently slammed by animal rights activist groups, but some argue that the use of fur in fashion is better for the environment than synthetic materials.

In Israel, the country will issue a loophole to allow its Hasidic population to continue buying “shtreimels,” the round hats made of mink or fox tails that are traditionally worn by some Hasidic men on shabbat and religious holidays. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority will be allowed to issue permits to import fur if it is for “religion, religious tradition, scientific research, education or teaching,” according to the Times of Israel.

To read more about how the fur industry is employing influencers, read BoF’s story from 2019.

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