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TOPIC: Fur Trade Industry Issue
              'Faux' versus Real Fur Debate                   
 

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                       ~~>  The Fur Trade Issue ~~> Fur Industry Debate
 


Comment: <<Fur is warmer, so that's why I wear it!>>

"Fur…is warmer than any synthetic product." (Fur Harvesters Auction Inc.)

If fur were warmer than any synthetic product, it is doubtful that arctic explorers would always appear in gortex, thinsulate, and a myriad of other synthetic fibers that keep people perfectly warm in temperatures as low as -100 degrees Celsius.

There is no need, whatsoever, for any person to choose fur over a synthetic product for warmth. Moreover, the fur industry markets their product to wealthy people in urban centers, where warmth is generally not the primary issue in choosing outerwear.

The fact is, fur is not marketed for warmth, but rather for "luxury" and "glamour". And the reality is, there is nothing "luxurious" or "glamorous" about a skin that has been ripped off of the back of an animal who did not want to die. 
Source: Global Action Network FAQ sheet

For fur to be warmer than a synthetic, it would have to be next to the skin - with the fur side in and the leather side out - in order for the necessary trapped air pockets for warmth.   This is also why wool as a natural resource is warmer than fur - because wool has 'kinky fibers' that allow air pockets to be trapped within the kinks of the fiber.
Source: CBS News - Bundling Up : Different in 2005

But if you are really cold and need that extra warmth, look for and buy 'Polartec Wind Pro' products.  Made from recycled PETE (soda bottles) and post consumer polyester materials, the fabric is water repellant and offers more sunscreen protection -- besides the fact it washes nicer than fleece and is four times warmer too!  Much lighter than wool, 'Polartec Wind Pro' products dramatically decreases that 'wind chill factor' which makes us cold.  The 'curly' Polartec fabric looks strikingly like lamb (also known as 'Monkey Pfur' or 'Poodle Pfur'), but is many more times durable.
Source: Polartec Wind Pro

Source: Polartec Wind Pro - a revolution in thermal fabrics
Source: Discovery Trekking Outfitters
Source: Cabrela's - Women's curly Polartec vest

Besides that, Polartec fabrics are actually good for the environment!  Polartec Patagonia was the first outdoor manufacturer to use recycled fleece, introducing it in 1993. From spring 1994 to fall 2005, the company diverted more than 98 million plastic soda bottles from landfills; 3,700 2-liter bottles can make 150 Synchilla garments. For every 3,700 bottles that are recycled, a barrel of oil is saved and a half ton of toxic air emissions avoided.
Source: Look Smart Articles : Positively Primal

 

 


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