Limited Brands Pledges No Cruelly Obtained Australian Wool

Columbus, Ohio-based retail giant Limited Brands, which operates more than 3,775 stores under The Limited, Express, Henri Bendel, Victoria's Secret, and other major names, is the latest company to shun cruelly obtained Australian merino wool. After PETA showed Limited Brand's vice president of external communications, Anthony Hebron, video footage of the partial skinning alive of Australian lambs during a procedure called "mulesing" and of tens of thousands of suffering sheep aboard multitiered "death ships" bound for slaughter in the Middle East, the company pledged that it "will not knowingly sell products which contain Australian merino wool until the practices of mulesing and live exporting end." With 2005 sales exceeding $9.4 billion, Limited Brands' decision sends a powerful message to the Australian wool industry that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.

Limited Brands joins a growing list of prestigious retailers and top fashion designers--including Abercrombie & Fitch, Timberland, New Look, and George--that have rejected Australian wool. Manufacturing giant SmartWool recently announced a deal to buy merino wool exclusively from New Zealand farmers who pledge to end mulesing by the end of 2005. Top designers in India--a major importer of Australian wool--have also pledged not to use the cruelly obtained product.

Please write to Limited Brands to thank the company for pledging not to use Australian merino wool until mulesing and live exports end:

Anthony Hebron, Vice President of External Communications
Limited Brands, Inc.
3 Limited Pkwy.
Columbus, OH 43216
614-415-1144 (fax)
http://www.limitedbrands.com/press/media_relations/index.jsp (e-mail form)

Join Limited Brands and take a stand by refusing to buy garments made from merino wool, most of which comes from Australia. Order a free "Shopping Guide to Compassionate Clothing" to learn how you can help animals when you shop for clothing.

Find out how you can help save sheep by telling your community about the cruelty of Australian wool.

Watch PETA’s video “Australia’s Secret Shame” to see for yourself what happens to sheep down under.