ANIMAL WELFARE POLICY

Manolo Blahnik International Limited (MBIL) recognises that animal derived materials are used in our footwear, handbag and belt collections, our range of accessories, and may occasionally be found within its stores and office locations. We acknowledge that there are inherent risks to animal welfare when sourcing animal derived materials and are committed to implementing our Animal Welfare Policy to safeguard the animals within our supply chains.

VISION AND AIM

To improve animal welfare throughout our supply chains by increasing transparency, understanding animal management, methods of production and promoting best practice whilst eliminating unacceptable behaviours.

When using animal derived materials within our collections our aim is only to use animals that have lived a good life on certified farms which are not killed primarily for the purpose of the textiles they provide or are wild animals hunted in a controlled and respectful manner as part of government wildlife management programmes, thereby contributing to the maintenance or restoration of the ecological balance.

GOVERNANCE

Governance of our Animal Welfare Policy lies with the Senior Leadership Team, whilst day to day responsibility for implementation lies with the Product Team.

Progress towards our aim and goals will be reported on an annual basis, with the policy reviewed at least every two years to take account of emerging issues and to update action plans where challenges arise.

GOALS

Our Vision and Aim are intentionally ambitious and will be achieved through smaller, focussed, time bound goals. Our initial goals are outlined below:

Fur: Production from January 2022 will be fur free, as defined by Fur Free Retailer programme.
Fibre:

Wool and shearling used in production from January 2022 will be sourced from non-mulesing farms.

Fibres sourced outside UK and EU will be traceable back to farm by end 2030.
Leather:

Bovine, ovine, caprine and cervidine leather sourced outside UK and EU will be traceable back to either farm or in the case of wild sourced, the collector by end 2030.

Increased visibility will enable us to monitor and reduce the percentage, if not eliminate, of bovine leather sourced from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and from bobby calves.
Exotic Skins:

Snake/Lizard used in production from January 2022 will be sourced from either farm or in the case of wild sourced, the collector.

Crocodilian used in production from January 2022 will be sourced from certified farms.
General: Increase the percentage of animal derived materials being sourced from certified farms.

ANIMAL WELFARE

The Five Freedoms have been very influential in improving animal welfare. Over and above their focus on negative experiences and states we believe animal welfare management should also include the promotion of positive experiences and states. We support the Five Provisions and Welfare Aims, which provide clear guidance on beneficial objectives for animal welfare management.

Our Vision and Aim is to ensure that our supplying farms adopt the Five Provisions and Welfare Aims into their production systems, to ensure that animals have a good quality of life.

Provisions Animal Welfare Aims
Good nutrition: Provide ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour Minimise thirst and hunger and enable eating to be a pleasurable experience
Good environment: Provide shade/shelter or suitable housing, good air quality and comfortable resting areas Minimise discomfort and exposure and promote thermal, physical and other comforts
Good health: Prevent or rapidly diagnose and treat disease and injury, and foster good muscle tone, posture and cardiorespiratory function Minimise breathlessness, nausea, pain and aversive experiences and promote the pleasures of robustness, vigour, strength and well-coordinated physical activity
Appropriate behaviour: Provide sufficient space, proper facilities, congenial company and appropriately varied conditions Minimise threats and unpleasant restrictions on behaviour and promote engagement in rewarding activities
Positive mental experience: Provide mental experience: Provide safe, congenial and species-appropriate opportunities to have pleasurable experiences Promote various forms of comfort, pleasure, interest, confidence and a sense of control
 

EDUCATION

To achieve our Vision and Aim, we will raise the awareness of animal welfare across our business. We will do this by providing an understanding of how our animal derived materials are farmed and the inherent risks to good animal welfare arising from specific farming systems.

CERTIFIED FARMS

Certified farms have demonstrated conformance, through independent audit, to a set of requirements within a standard. The standard, the rules for certification and the labels or claims are described within an assurance scheme. To achieve our Vision and Aim, we will source from farms that are certified to assurance schemes, originating from either the food or textile industry, which have an animal welfare theme.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Suppliers of animal derived materials must comply with all local animal welfare laws and regulations.

No endangered and vulnerable species, as defined by IUCN Red List (https://www.iucnredlist.org/), are used in the production of our products.

We do not accept leather or skin from fetal or newborn lambs; including but not limited to slink, astrakhan, karakul, Persian lamb, broadtail, or krimmer.

Suppliers must comply with our Animal Welfare Policy and can provide all relevant information needed.

BOVINE, OVINE, CAPRINE AND CERVIDINE LEATHER

Animal welfare legislation in the UK and EU is comparatively strong and material sourced from here has been designated low risk. We acknowledge that improvements in animal welfare are still required to deliver the Five Provisions and Welfare Aims effectively, but our initial focus will be outside this region.

Several non-EU countries have been designated medium and high risk, due to a combination of weak animal welfare legislation and poor farming practices. Suppliers sourcing from these regions will be required to identify their supply chains back to either farm or in the case of wild sourced, the collector and provide evidence of good animal welfare.

SNAKE/LIZARD LEATHER

We are working with our suppliers to agree and implement sourcing policies, which will include engaging with Southeast Asian Reptile Conservation Alliance (SARCA) to adopt best practice and ultimately certification to the Responsible Reptile Sourcing Standard once established.

CROCODILIAN LEATHER

We are not currently sourcing crocodilian leather. If this material is required for any future collections, it will be sourced from farms which are certified to the International Crocodilian Farmers’ Association (IFCA) standard ICFA Standard 1001:2019 or recognised equivalent.

CAVEATS

These caveats are based on there being no perpetuation of harm and reducing waste to promote circularity.

Legacy materials: We reserve the right to use animal derived materials, acquired and held on inventory by our current suppliers prior to January 2022, which may fall outside our Animal Welfare Policy.

Pre-2022 Production: We can only control future production and accept that products may remain available for sale produced prior to the publication of this policy.

Sentience: This policy is based only vertebrates, decapods and cephalopods being recognised as sentient.

DEFINITIONS

Fur: The Fur Free Retailer programme defines fur to mean any animal skin or part thereof with hair or fur fibres attached thereto, either in its raw or processed state or the pelt of any animal killed for the animal’s fur. “Animal” includes, but is not limited to, mink, fox, rabbit, karakul lamb, and raccoon dog. “Fur“ shall not include 1) such skins as are, or are to be, converted into leather or which in processing have, or shall have, the hair, fleece, or fur fibres completely removed, 2) materials clipped, shorn, or combed from animals, such as fleece, sheepskin, or shearling, 3) leather or hair attached to skin that is typically used as leather, e.g. cowhide with hair attached, or 4) synthetic materials intended to look like fur.

Collector: Individual or organisation responsible for sourcing pelts / skins directly from hunters, working in a specific, known region.

To view this policy in Italian, please click here.