Fur, once considered “soft gold” at the turn of the 19th century, has lost its shine in the last decade — largely thanks to animal welfare activists.
According to Humane World for Animals, formerly known as the Humane Society, the number of animals farmed and killed for fur production plummeted from 140 million in 2014 to just 20.5 million in 2024.
Tracking the use of animals — including minks, foxes, chinchillas, and the raccoon dogs of East Asia — the data revealed dramatic drops in fur production across China, Russia, North America, and the European Union, all traditionally leaders in the industry.
According to PJ Smith, the director of fashion policy at Humane World For Animals, the downward trend reflects a larger history of anti-fur activism that began in the 1980s. He attributes the last decade of decline to continued pushback from consumers, which led to decisions by big brands like Versace, Burberry, Prada, Chanel, and Michael Kors to end their use of fur. In 2019, calls to go fur-free gained legislative influence, as California banned fur sales statewide.
“The hardest part is going to be closing out an industry for good,” Smith told Vox. “It’s going to be convincing those final fashion brands and retailers to move away from fur.
“And it’s going to be the case that we need to make to legislators and policymakers that we need to implement policy change,” he said, to “ensure the future is fur-free once and for all.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2025 Fashion Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image via Alexander Mass
