What Is The “PETA-Approved Vegan” Certification in Sustainable Fashion?

While reading up on sustainable fashion, you might come across a PETA-Approved logo on products or on websites. This is a certification that is especially interesting for those of you who want to avoid wearing animal products because you live a vegan lifestyle or for other reasons. It’s important to understand what this label means, and most importantly, what it doesn’t mean. We’ll look at the true meaning at the end of the article. First, I’ll give an explanation of PETA and their “Approved Vegan” certification, how a brand or product can be awarded this label, and you can see some sustainable clothing brands that offer PETA-certified options.

What is PETA?

PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is one of the biggest animal rights organizations in the world. They are committed to protecting and improving animal welfare in different industries and in different ways. The clothing industry is one of the four main areas PETA focuses on. The other three are:

• animal testing in laboratories
• the food industry
• the entertainment business

In this article, we will be looking at a certificate PETA developed that makes it easier to recognize animal-free products so consumers can buy things that align with their values. But this is not the only way they get things done for the animals. They also work on research and investigative reporting, public education, animal rescue, legislation, celebrity involvement and organizing special events and protest campaigns. With pretty much any issue that affects animals, PETA is involved; also for example fighting against the killing of animals that are often considered pests, and cruelty to domesticated animals.

What Is The “PETA-Approved Vegan” Certification?

PETA’s mission in the fashion industry specifically, is to end the use of animals in products. To help identify animal-free products, they developed the “PETA-Approved Vegan” label. This certification ensures the product does not contain any animal-derived materials such as leather, wool, fur, silk and down. There are currently more than 1000 companies that are using PETA-Approved Vegan for their products made of vegan alternatives.

You can recognize a “PETA-Approved Vegan” certified product by the logo below.

This logo can be applied to the following products:

• Clothing and fashion items
• Companion animal accessories
• Fibers/materials
• Footwear
• Handbags
• Home furnishings
• Jewelry
• Luggage
• Sporting goods
• Sunglasses
• Wallets
• Watches

If a product carries the logo, you will probably see it on the clothing tag or label, or the product page on the brand’s webshop. In this case, that specific product was made without animal substances. If you see the logo displayed on the homepage of a brand’s website or their social media pages, it indicates the brand only sells vegan products. Or the logo could be used for an entire collection; of course only if the entire collection is vegan.

You can find companies that offer “PETA-Approved Vegan” options here on PETA’s website

What Does The Certification Process Look Like?

Brands can apply to use the PETA-Approved Vegan logo by filling out a questionnaire on the website and completing a statement of assurance in which they declare their product(s) is/are vegan and thus cruelty-free. This means no use of any animal-derived materials, including animal by-products like glue, wax, or colour dyes. This statement also needs to be provided by their supplier(s) and/or manufacturer(s). The PETA Foundation reviews the application and if accepted, the brand pays the annual certification fee determined by their estimated annual revenue.

The PETA-Approved Vegan logo is non-transferable between manufacturers, suppliers or distributors, meaning that each company must complete the certification process in order to use the logo. No inspections are required to obtain the label and audits are only done by the company itself that is applying and paying for the use of the label. This is not checked by an external control organisation.

What does it Mean when you see the PETA-Approved Vegan logo?

Certifications always have limitations and certain focus areas. It’s important to be aware of these limitations so you know what it truly means when you see PETA’s logo while shopping. In general, if a product carries the PETA-Approved Vegan label, it means it’s free from animal-derived materials so it’s cruelty-free. It means you’re choosing to support and shop from brands that prioritize animal welfare. However, this is solely based on the brand’s own self-reporting. When applying for the certification, brands don’t have to test their products to confirm they are really animal-free, and they don’t go through any inspections or auditing. The label simply signifies that the brand has signed PETA’s statement of assurance. Although I do believe you can trust most, if not all, PETA certified products, it is still good to know it’s not technically a 100% guarantee.

This label also doesn’t guarantee the overall sustainability of the item or brand. All you have to do to obtain the label, is create products that are made with non-animal materials, so the other aspects of sustainability are not taken into account. There are more non-animal textile materials than animal textile materials, so it is not that difficult to achieve. That’s why you’ll see fast-fashion brands like H&M promote PETA-approved collections too. Vegan does not equal sustainable. Many alternatives for animal materials are just as, or even more, harmful for the environment, for example PVC and PU vegan leather. The negative environmental effects of animal agriculture are indeed removed, but they might be replaced by negative environmental effects from other materials. And as you might already know, sustainability also includes social aspects like the working conditions in the factories.

Also pay attention to where you see the logo. As mentioned before, if the logo is applied to one product, it does not mean all the other products the brand offers are vegan too. Always check if the item you want to buy has the logo or if the brand has a statement that says all their products are vegan.

Some fashion brands that use the PETA logo

With this knowledge, you’re ready to start finding vegan products. Below are some fashion brands that are not only using the PETA label for their products, but are also sustainable. They are all featured on the ethical brand list here.

Do you want to read more about vegan fashion? Check out this article about a washable paper material that could be a sustainable alternative to leather

Sources

PETA – https://petaapprovedvegan.peta.org/

PETA – https://www.peta.org/