Puffer Jackets: Not for the Faint-hearted

The towering spires of the Cuillin Ridge test even the best of British climbers. On rare fine days these steely-nerved athletes are rewarded with views far across the North Sea, from the jagged top of the Isle of Skye.

Lesser souls such as myself reluctantly settle for the lower reaches of this Holy Grail of British climbing. One such day in 2016, after hauling ourselves as far vertically as our nerves would allow, my partner and I were admiring the sweeping ocean views.

Imagine our surprise when a small army of film technicians suddenly joined us in our airy solitude! Up traverses we’d been proud of carrying little more than sandwiches, they’d somehow dragged a disturbing weight of cameras and gear. They were there to film a BBC Countryfile presenter, showcasing the remarkable British landscape. We observed as he nobly strode across an airy edge, silhouetted against the ocean, in apparent solitude, with about 25 technicians and bemused climbers struggling to keep out of the shot.

New Zealand one of the few places worldwide more rugged than Skye. It’s jagged peaks, often snow-capped, have been scaled by many a film technician toiling after actors searching for goblins, elves, hobbits or similarly elusive creatures.

Little wonder, then, that puffer jackets seem so ubiquitous within the industry. Readily available and affordable, they’re warm and comfortable too, if not entirely fashionable. Large numbers regularly accompany technicians on intrepid treks into the wilds. And even just to downtown film locations.

Yet, how often do we stop to wonder from whence all these brightly-coloured garments come? And particularly, the downy heart that keeps us warm? How exactly, do we coax ducks and geese to give up the soft fluffy feathers attached to their skin, for use in our jackets, sleeping bags, pillows, feather beds and duvets?

Down: not for the faint-hearted

Eighty per cent of the world’s down is produced in China and a video of its production was released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 2012.

Viewing is not for the faint-hearted. Birds are forcefully restrained in stressful positions. Some are squeezed upside down between workers’ knees, and in one instance an investigator photographed a worker sitting on a goose’s neck to prevent her escape. Workers violently rip out fistfuls of feathers as quickly as possible. Skin is sometimes torn open, and workers sew up wounds with needle and thread. The instruments appear unsterilized, the technique is crude, and no painkillers are evident.

Sometimes other abusive processes squeeze even more profits from these exploited animals. Pâté de foie gras production seeks to produce a fatty liver prized by gourmands. Multiple times daily geese and ducks are restrained and force-fed excessive amounts of grain via throat tubes. Their livers swell up to ten times their normal size. Some suffer fractures and other physical injuries, infections, respiratory problems, heat stress, diarrhoea and obesity.

An industry wakeup call

The 2012 PETA video was a wakeup call for the industry, which rapidly sprung into damage control mode. Several companies claimed to have been unaware of such abuse, and investigated their suppliers. Some were promptly ditched, and companies established standards such as the global Traceable Down Standard.

Administered by the international standards body NSF, this aims to ensure down is sourced from birds that have not been live plucked or force fed. It also includes traceability requirements, aiming to ensure that only down from accredited suppliers is used in certified goods. The Responsible Down Standard is similar.

The most highly ranked companies aim for down traceability from farms all the way through to finished goods, and aim to avoid processing along with uncertified down, to decrease risks of mixing in the factory. They aim for inspections at various levels of the supply chain, including parent farms, hatcheries, breeding and intermediary farms, and slaughterhouses, some of which may be unannounced.

Whitewashing abusive treatment?

Unfortunately however, no brands comply with all such standards, and many don’t even come close. Most rely on certificates and supplier reports, rather than conducting inspections. European animal welfare group Four Paws has ranked the animal welfare standards of different brands. Fjall Raven and Patagonia are near the top, with Kathmandu and Marmot at the bottom.

Only a tiny fraction of down products today even aspire to such standards. Doing so increases costs, which is a significant barrier in a market comprised mostly of cheaper or unbranded products. And given that a single bird, whether plucked live, or after slaughter for human consumption, yields only some 60 grams of down, the numbers can be enormous.

Japan alone imported the equivalent of 100 million down harvests in 2016. Even if birds are kept alive and plucked up to four times annually (which is very stressful), a staggering 25 million birds would still be required.

And what of those slaughtered for human consumption, with down a by-product? Most are kept in small cages in giant sheds with no access to the outdoors. Highly constricted, they’re denied the opportunity to fulfil important natural behaviours, such as bathing in water. They’re later crammed into trucks for a stressful journey to the slaughterhouse, where they’re shackled upside down. Some sustain fractured legs and wings. A proportion will struggle and fail to receive a sufficient electric shock before slaughter. These will retain some level of consciousness whilst undergoing throat-cutting and being subsequently immersed in tanks of scalding water, to loosen their feathers. Down production just increases economic incentives to use ducks and geese in this way.

Alternatives to down

Fortunately, there are many alternatives. Unlike down, which loses its thermal insulation qualities when wet, polyester synthetics such as Thinsulate, FullRange, PolarTec Alpha and PrimaLoft will keep you warm, and involve no animal cruelty. They don’t collect dust or mould, and are non-allergenic. High-street favourites such as Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Warehouse, White Stuff and many others have promised bans on down.

So, if the call of duty requires that you freeze yourself in the great outdoors, spare a thought for the millions of ducks and geese abused to make puffer jackets each year. Please consider wearing something other than down!