First assignment of group n° 009
Resources used by the team[modifier | modifier le wikicode]
First description of our project[modifier | modifier le wikicode]
First description of our project's idea
Title : Fight “Fur” Justice
1. What Problem do you want to solve ?
Year 1978 was a turning point for animal rights as the Universal declaration of animal rights was conceived.
Animals have since been given a legal status and protected by constitutional measures such as the European Convention for the protection of domestic pets (implemented in 1992 and which forbids causing animals useless pain, suffering or anxiety), as well as sets of laws specific to each country.
However, even if hurting futively the animals is now punishable by the law, industrials overstep it constantly . Activits such as Brigitte Bardot have stood up to fight against them, igniting a social debate; but meanwhile, animals all over the world are still tortured and killed so their fur and skin can be transformed into the coats we wear or stuffed in the pillows we sleep on.
Therefore, it is high time we stopped debating on the issue to finally take action and to be active advocates of the animal cause. Every citizen must stand up for these values and watch their actions to stop promoting the torture and the killing of animals by buying clothes without knowing about their fabrication process or how the animals were treated to make them.
2. Why does this problem exist?
Protecting the animals by boycotting the producers who ignore the animals’ well-being in their production processes is difficult as the population is divided on the subject.
There are indeed 3 dimensions to the problem of animal torture in the name of comfort and fashion that can explain why, even though many people and organizations have taken action to tackle this issue, such practices still exist today.
A social dimension
There is a certain social value that lies underneath the fact of wearing fur and being able to afford it. The people who can buy and wear fur don’t seem to be ready to give up on their privilege, and nor do the people who sell them the articles since they can’t turn their backs on the profits it can bring them. The people who have no real knowledge or interest in the production of the goods they buy are too often unaware that the products they pay for are created by torturing living beings.
An economic dimension
To this day, there are no known substitutes that have the same characteristics (aesthetics, comfortability…) as real animal fur, that can be produced at a great scale without bringing any pain to any living being, and that can be profitable enough to be economically interesting for companies.
A legal dimension
Although there are quite recent laws that were implemented to try and guarantee the animals’ well-being, there’s actually no thorough enforcement of those laws, that aren’t strong or deterring enough to reach their goal. There are also too many legal loopholes that allow companies to get round the law (by outsourcing their production in countries that have more lenient legislation on that matter for example).
Finally, there are unfortunately no rewards encouraging enough for companies that make things change.
3. What breakthrough are you commited to creating?
We want to provide ways to tackle all three dimensions of this problem :
- On a social dimension : Raising awareness among customers and producer
- On an economical dimension : Looking for alternatives for fur that are easy, cheap to create, as comfortable and aesthetic as real fur
- On a legal level : boosting the boycott of the industrials who don’t abide by the laws, make or update labels, blacklists and whitelists classifying companies, and make them more known to the public; implement more rewards, more recognition for companies committed to the cause
Potential experts already identified
- Aurélie MOSSE, researcher in innovating textiles, rather unlikely to be convinced
- Christel RENOULT, lawyer specialized in the animal cause, rather likely to be convinced
- Priscille LACOSTE, journalist, very likely to be convinced
- C. CAMPAGNE, researcher in multifonctional textiles and processes, rather unlikely to be convinced
- Alain BOUGRAIN-DUBOURG, journalist, member of the Birds Protection League, very likely to be convinced
- Johanne MIELCAREK, member of Agir localement pour les animaux, very likely to be convinced
