Manchester online fashion retailer Boohoo has reversed a decision to ban wool from its products less than 24 hours after announcing the policy.
On Friday, the firm announced it had “committed to omit wool from its product range effective from the autumn-winter season onwards”.
Boohoo, whose brands include Pretty Little Thing, said “no jumper or scarf is worth kicking, punching and killing gentle sheep on the shearing floor” after admitting it had been lobbied by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).
The decision was quickly criticised, with Phil Stocker, head of the National Sheep Association, saying sheep were well treated by shearers and that it would be “absurd” to replace wool with man-made materials that do not degrade. He said wool is “one of the most sustainable fibres on earth”.
On Saturday, Boohoo announced a ewe-turn: it was still going to use wool in its products but would ensure it did not contribute to the suffering of sheep.
