California bans sale of fur products

The new law is intended to provide ‘a more sustainable and cruelty-free future’ for the fashion industry and California’s consumers.

Governor Gavin Newsom of California has signed a bill into civil law to prohibit both the manufacture of any item incorporating certain types of fur and the sale of such products within the state.

The new law – known as ‘AB 44’ – will become enforceable in 2023 and is designed to prevent any efforts to manufacture, sell, attempt to sell, display, trade, donate or otherwise distribute fur products in California. There will, however, be a number of exclusions, such as fur on used or vintage products, cat and dog fur, leather, components derived from deer, sheep and goat, taxidermy and fur used for religious or tribal purposes.

“AB 44 ushers in a more sustainable and cruelty-free future for the fashion industry and California consumers alike,” said California State Assembly member Laura Friedman, who proposed the bill. As expected, the US fur industry strongly opposed the legislation, with a lobbying group ‘Truth About Fur’ stating that the prohibition was based on ‘a dangerous fiction’. Nevertheless, the law was passed in the California legislature by 52 votes to 16.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 2 of the November 2019 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

Other articles from this issue »

---