HUGO BOSS Pledges to PETA It Will Phase Out Cruel Australian Wool

Global Retail and Design Giant Not Fooled by Wool Industry, Promises Total Boycott of Wool From Mulesed Lambs by 2010

New York - Following discussions with PETA about mutilations of lambs by Australian farmers, global retail giant HUGO BOSS--which is based in Metzingen, Germany, and New York City--has announced that it will phase out the use of Australian wool originating from lambs who have undergone either the standard mulesing mutilation or the new "clip mulesing" mutilation. Mulesing is a crude procedure in which Australian farmers carve huge chunks of skin and flesh from lambs' backsides with shears--or kill the skin using tightly clamped clips--in a misguided attempt to reduce maggot infestation, even though effective and humane prevention methods (such as breeding bare-breech sheep) already exist.

In 2004, the Australian wool industry responded to PETA's international boycott--which is also targeting Australia's cruel export of live sheep--by publicly pledging to phase out mulesing by 2010. However, the industry is now promoting another cruel mulesing method in which clips are attached to the folded skin and flesh of lambs, causing it to rot and fall off. But HUGO BOSS--which operates more than 1,000 stores in 100 countries and has annual sales approaching $2 billion--isn't buying this new mulesing technique.

"HUGO BOSS disassociates itself from mulesing because it contravenes our corporate values ... [and] has decided to phase out the use of wool from farms that perform mulesing--including clip mulesing," writes HUGO BOSS in a statement (emphasis added). The company continues, "Should mulesing not have ended completely by 2010, HUGO BOSS will refuse to purchase wool material from farms that perform mulesing."