Mulesing sheep: Country Road, David Jones call time on practice
Country Road and David Jones have become the first Australian retailers to put a time limit on the use of mulesed wool.
AUSTRALIAN fashion retailers David Jones and Country Road Group will be exclusively using non-mulesed or ceased-mulesed wool within four years.
They are the first major Australian retailers to put a time commitment on the use of non-mulesed or ceased-mulesed wool.
However, since about 2010 Country Road has “taken a proactive approach towards sourcing a sustainable supply of non-mulesed wool”.
The announcement was made this week as David Jones and the Country Road Group made public their new Responsible Wool Strategy.
David Jones and Country Road Group head of sustainability Eloise Bishop said they were proud to have launched their new Responsible Wool Strategy, which outlines their commitment to move exclusively to non-mulesed/ceased-mulesed wool by winter 2023 for all products with a wool composition greater than 30 per cent.
The new strategy applies to all Country Road Group brands, which includes Country Road, Trenery, Witchery, Politix and Mimco, plus David Jones’ private label collection.
“In developing this strategy we worked in close consultation with industry stakeholders and non-government organisations including RSPCA Australia, Four Paws Australia and Humane Society International Australia to ensure our commitments reflect a best-practice approach to animal welfare and sustainable farming practices,” Ms Bishop said.
“We are proud to be the first major Australian fashion retailers to publicly announce a time-bound commitment to sourcing non-mulesed/ceased-mulesed wool, and to be taking a leadership position against mulesing within the wool industry.
“The practice of mulesing does not align with our values as a responsible retailer and given the availability of viable alternatives, such as breeding strategies to eliminate the risk of flystrike, we believe we have a role to play in encouraging wool growers towards more responsible farming methods. We hope to see other Australian retailers follow our lead to create change in the global fashion industry.”
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The Responsible Wool Sourcing Strategy states:
ALL products made from 100 per cent wool will be verified non-mulesed/ceased-mulesed by winter 2021;
ALL products made with a fibre composition of more than 30 per cent wool will be verified non-mulesed/ceased-mulesed by winter 2023; and
ALL products made with a fibre composition of more than 30 per cent wool will be fully traceable, non-mulesed/ceased-mulesed and certified by a credible third-party to ensure high animal welfare standards and sustainable farming practices by winter 2025.