Sacrifice for real fur – decrease by 325,551 animals

According to foreign trade statistics by the Ministry of Finance, the import of real fur has decreased in 2016 as well as the year before.
What is remarkable is the decrease by cost. The value of real fur has dropped significantly globally, and as well as in Japan.
For the whole fur, including all parts such as hands and tails, the cost was ¥17,755 per body in 2015, but it was ¥10,780 in 2016 dropping by 60.75%.

Though the number of imported fox fur has increased, the rest of fur items has decreased. The number of imported fur items for apparel in 2016, except for shoes, was 4,009,020, weighing 1,730,789 kg. Furthermore, the amount of imported fur skin, including parts such as hands and feet, was 150,199 items weighing about 125,260 kg. Compared to the year before it’s 93.85% in terms of the number of items, and 79.07% in terms of weight.
The fur tended to be used for small items in 2016, so there were a bit more in the number of items in relation to weight.
If we were to count in terms of weight,

about 215,720 animals were sacrificed for fur skin,
and 1,107,776* animals were sacrificed for real fur attached to apparel,
totaling 1,323,496* animals.

* It is impossible to know the accurate number since the weight contains other than fur attached to apparel. The number decreased by 352,551 since 2015!

That said, over 1.3 million animals are killed for consumption by Japanese. The goal is to minimalize the sacrifice rapidly, with an aim for zero for importation of fur as well as its production.
The production has not slowed down in China, so it’s expected some companies will go for real fur for the low cost.
Not many Japanese companies have stopped the use of real fur. Though quite a few companies mainly use “eco-fur,” they hesitate to claim “No fur” because they think they need to use real fur if demanded by consumers. Companies observe the trend by consumers so they wish to use fur as demands may increase.
The companies that use eco-fur are not doing it for ethical reasons but merely pursuing the trend.
Fashionable apparel and accessories, from luxury items to reasonable ones, can be made without real fur.
We, as consumers, should monitor companies’ behaviors, whether or not their responsibilities are fulfilled through consuming their merchandise.
Please send your voice to companies that have not yet manifested that they will no longer use real fur, asking them to do so.
Please continue to raise your voice for animals that are still suffering.

[GRAPH – Import of real fur skin by weight kg]