comment 6 and 12: while your points make sense on a logical level, you need to think about actual numbers. for example, while faux fur requires oil as a raw material (less than 1 percent of global oil is used as feedstock for all plastics by the way, the vast, vast majority is simply burnt as fuel and stopping production of oil-based synthetics tomorrow would have no discernible effect on the demand for oil).

Real fur requires the animals to be fed. Most fur bearers are carnivores, which means they need to eat meat, and lots of it. Meat animals need to be fed plant material. Plants need to be grown, usually using fertilizer and tractors to grow and trucks to transport the grains to their destination. Back of the envelope calculations, 10 percent is the normal conversion efficiency in animals (the amount of body mass gained from a given amount of food is around 10 percent of that foods mass). So a 10 pound fox (around 20 of which are needed to make a coat) may have eaten in its life 100 pounds of chicken meat (probably more), requiring 1,000 lb of corn or soya to grow.

So one coat actually required 20,000 pounds of corn, which all had to be grown, transported, processed and so on and so fourth. Does that 20,000 pounds of corn require less oil and cause less pollution (including the wastes from the chickens and foxes themselves, heating for their housing, transport of their products) than four yards of acrylic faux fur?

I don't know off hand, but you can see from these estimates that it's far from as clear cut as you present it. farming is a major contributor to global warming and other forms of pollution, and any farming which does not contribute to the human food chain should be examined very closely. Especially those which use meat as a feedstock. If you like real fur, use meat-byproduct fur such as rabbit, sheep or goat, which eat plants and whose carcasses provide food for humans, not purpose-grown carnivores like mink or fox which at best are destined to be pet food and at worst, are just destroyed.

As for humane trapping, trapping is not particularly humane at the best of times, and in any case it often has a huge non-target impact, catching and killing among other things endangered birds such as bald eagles. To get 20 foxes, traps may have polished off another 50 non-fox animals, plus a bunch of foxes with damaged coats, all of which are wasted.

Everyone seems to over look the large problem that faux fur is made of acrylics, and other polymers. These polymers come from such sources as coal, limestone, and petroleum.

The major source is petroleum, and let us not forget petroleum comes from tar sands, and other such sources. Those companies cause substantial amounts of pollution, global warming, and readily use huge supplies of water.

However I do agree that the conditions the animals are put through are not good, but is the pollution of thousands of animals' lives, and the warming of the planet which will kill millions of animals, or the loss of habitat which an oil company moving it killing thousands of animals, worth saving one animal?

I say we improve the conditions of the animals in the farms, making it so they can have an enjoyable life, and then end their life in a humane manner, and that would not be cruel in the least.

They have an amazing life and then it ends. How can that hurt the animal? A cow living on a scratch farm for example would love this life, because they get plenty of room to graze and be with the herd, but the farmer protects them from predators, and when he needs them he kills one, but it will not feel pain and it had a good life.

So join a fashion trend that is taking off, and accusing fur wears of murder, but really faux fur is supporting the murder of millions of animals, and at the very least buying the products of a resource that had to kill thousands of animals to produce this.

Also not all fur comes from farms that treat their animals bad, about a 1/3 of the fur comes from humane trappers. So just think about what you are buying before you jump on the band wagon.

I am doing a project on endangered animals and i chose the Grevy's Zebra. And people poach these for their fur for fashion. I totally agree with "ElseWhen" the person who posted a comment above me. using fake fur is a great alternate. You don't have to kill it, it's cheaper and looks so real! So why not? -LMT

The earth is bound to be destroyed, but I don't think that you would like to be stuck in a small cage, hung upside down, watching others before you get skinned plus knowing you will be next and still be breathing, conscious and feel all the pain.

But if you're fine with that, then wear fur that was made out of living, breathing animals that can feel happy, sad, anger and pain just like people then be my guest and have *fun* wearing a coat that many animals had to die for.

This is for anon28111-this planet is being destroyed in many many other ways! Like anon30679 said watch a video, look at pictures or read up on how these poor animals, dogs and cats in China are being taken from their homes and thrown into small cages cramped with others awaiting their deaths. These animals are being skinned *alive* and are still *breathing* for minutes after their fur has been ripped off of their body and for what? So people can think they look good for wearing real fur on their winter coat! There is no justifiable reason that any animal should have to endure that! Watch a video and then you may have a different outlook. anon1625

I think people should use faux fur. I saw a video on how this is done and it's sick, cruel and just crazy since there is faux fur. These animals are a part of keeping the earth running and so are humans. You should see the video and you'll never want to wear the real fur again!

"Synthetic?" "Acrylic?" Does anybody know what that means? I do. Faux fur is made from a mixture of coal, oil, water, and limestone. Coal is a non-renewable resource that must be mined (causing massive damage to the environment) and is the leading one of the causes of air pollution. Oil is a non-renewable resource that must be drilled and refined and is also one of the leading causes of air pollution. Both are also leading producers of greenhouse gases. Limestone must be mined, further causing environmental damage. This is to get the raw materials themselves.

The faux fur must still be artificially processed, a time consuming process that produces chemical waste that is emptied into rivers, stored underground to leach into the soil, an further pollutes the air. Think, this is the process for *all* synthetics, not just faux fur. Nice job, PETA. Why simply kill animals for food and clothing when you can destroy the whole planet?

Nothing is as warm as *real dead animal skin*. Eskimos don't wear North Face Parkas. They use the real thing, because if they don't, they will freeze to death and die. If you eat meat, you are the *same* as those that wear fur or leather. Do you wear a leather belt? How about *shoes*?! It sure is hard to boycott leather shoes, especially if you have to wear a suit. Well, it is the same as fur.

Real fur is stronger, it is warmer, it is softer, it is heavier, it is gross. It is murder and a carcass on your body. It *works*.

On a motorcycle, nothing protects you like leather. Cordura will melt to your skin and it's slippery so you'll slide three times the distance of leather's braking attributes against asphalt. Leather and fur are *real* and have valid uses. Faux is fake and for fashion.

In my opinion, there is no reason to ever use real fur anymore. Real fur made sense when it was the only accessible option for keeping warm and/or looking stylish.

Nowadays, there are so many options for keeping warm, and if you really like the look of fur, the fake fur options look exactly like the real thing.

I am not an animal activist - I think its fine to use animals for our benefit when there aren't alternatives. Considering that in the case of fur, the alternatives are better, cheaper and don't require the killing of animals, why not?