While UGGs are undoubtedly ideal winter boots due to their comfort, warmth, and unique design, they lack when it comes to the use of animal products.
Indeed, UGGs are made of shearling, a sheepskin with its fleece still attached. So, the question among UGG lovers is, are these boots cruelty-free? Here’s what I discovered!
Are UGGs Cruelty-Free In 2024?
Unfortunately, UGGs aren’t considered cruelty-free. These sheepskin boots are made from slaughtered animals’ skin, suede, fur, and wool. However, not all UGGs are made using animal products, as UGG recently added a vegan shoe line to its collection. Even so, while this new vegan line is a step in the right direction, most UGGs are still made from animal products.
To find out whether UGGs are cruelty-free, whether the UGG brand is cruel to animals, and more, keep on reading!
Are UGGs Vegan Friendly?
Regrettably, UGGs aren’t considered vegan friendly.
The majority of the UGG products are made with animal products, such as sheepskin, fur, wool, suede, and animal leather.
More so, UGG clearly states in its product descriptions that UGGs contain real, artificially dyed, and treated fur from lamb or sheep sourced from Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, or Australia.
This is a clear testament that UGGs are not vegan friendly, since they are predominantly made from animal products.
Nonetheless, it’s ideal to note that UGG added a vegan shoe line to its collection in 2021, made from carbon-neutral and plant-based materials. (See More Below!)
Thus, while selecting a pair of UGG boots to purchase in a shoe store, it would be ideal to look at the shoe’s label to ensure you’re buying a vegan-friendly pair.
Is It Cruel to Wear UGGs?
Wearing your UGGs is considered cruel if you are of the opinion that animals shouldn’t be slaughtered for their skin, wool, suede, or fur.
As stated earlier, UGG boots are made from sheep products like skin, fur, suede, and wool, and the sheep are inhumanely treated in the wool industry.
According to PETA, the sheep used for their skin and wool often get their tails chopped off, their ears hole-punched, and the males castrated, often without any anesthesia.
These sheep are also reared in inhumane conditions.
In addition, the Australian wool industry considers slaughtering approximately three million lambs every spring a normal occurrence.
These sheep are often abused, loaded into cramped spaces, and transported on frightening trucks without food and water and in freezing, cold, or extreme heat for hours.
To crown it all, sheep are among the biggest producers of greenhouse gases to the environment, while wool production results in water pollution and land destruction.
Therefore, wearing UGG boots is considered cruel by many climate change and animal welfare crusaders.
This is because sheep rearing pollutes the environment, and the wool industry treats the sheep inhumanely.
Is UGG Cruel to Animals?
The UGG brand doesn’t rear the sheep whose sheepskin is used to manufacture its UGG shoe collection, according to the animal welfare FAQ.
This shoe manufacturer purchases its sheepskin from third-party suppliers who comply with its strict internationally-accepted animal welfare policies and ethical sourcing.
Additionally, UGG claims that it doesn’t buy hides from sheep raised solely for their hide but from animals primarily reared for food.
As if that’s not enough, the company purchases sheepskin from tanneries based in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, and Australia.
This is because these countries have animal treatment regulations and standards.
Nevertheless, while these countries have animal treatment regulations, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the animal treatment standards are humane.
According to PETA, millions of sheep are castrated, and their tails are cut off without anesthesia every year.
In addition, the sheep are crammed in crowded pens before being slaughtered for their wool, skin, and fur.
That said, the UGG brand claims to have chosen to implement strict animal treatment rules to deal with animal cruelty over the years.
Does UGG have a Vegan Line?
UGG recently launched a new, sustainable, carbon-neutral, vegan shoe line dubbed “The Plant Power Collection.”
This funky shoe line still maintains the classic UGG design of fur-covered footwear, but without the cruelty of using animal products and carbon footprint.
Alternatively, this vegan shoe line features the TENCEL Lyocell, a material made from wood pulp to create a plant-based version of the UGG sheepskin fur.
In addition, UGG has discovered a new and sustainable way of producing rubber outsoles for the vegan line from the Hevea rubber trees.
More so, the shoe manufacturer uses sugarcane and Hemp plant to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere to reduce carbon footprint.
This UGG vegan shoe line collection encompasses one canvas style boot and two plush fur-covered sandals varieties with multiple colorways.
Conclusion
The decision on whether to discard your UGG boots due to the possibility of animal cruelty or stick with the trendy winter footwear is your personal decision to make.
Luckily, there are other vegan-friendly UGGs options that you can purchase if you’re on the extreme side of the animal activism scale.