The cruelty of wool isn’t often publicised, and there is little general understanding of why it isn’t vegan. Here, we break down the reality of the industry.

Silk is synonymous with luxury and the very finest most decadent things in life, from pyjamas to bed sheets. The cost to the silkworms is terrible with thousands boiled, gassed or steamed alive for just half a kilo of silk, but a new video report out from CNN this month has accused the Indian silk industry of being inextricably tied to bonded labour, in other words, modern-day slavery. We take a look at the true cost of silk to both animals and humans.

It’s called ‘sheep freeze branding’ and it’s supposed to be a better, less painful alternative to mulesing, the barbaric act of cutting away the skin on a sheep’s backside with shears to prevent flystrike, always without anaesthesia and in many cases without pain relief. Why are we faced with having to choose between mulesing and freeze branding at all?

We’ve seen a flood of news concerning vegan-friendly alternatives to leather, and not the plastic variety but novel materials made from cacti, mushrooms, mangos and even grapes. Major fashion brands are getting in on it too, so why the sudden interest in animal-free leather and are there any downsides?