A Vegan Aviation Award is on its way to Airbus from PETA Germany following the launch of ACH145, the company’s first helicopter with a fully vegan interior.
Free from animal-derived fabrics, such as leather and wool, the interior is crafted from Ultraleather, a high-performance vegan material.
The innovative design was ordered by a PETA supporter, who is a valued Airbus customer. The group hopes Airbus will now switch to animal-free interiors across all its helicopters and aeroplanes.
“PETA applauds Airbus for taking vegan living to new heights,” says PETA Director Elisa Allen. “Today’s high-flying consumers know that there’s no excuse for a gentle cow to be killed for a seat cover, and we’re sure that just like in the automobile industry, vegan interiors will soon be the standard, not an exception, in the aviation industry.”
PETA notes that cows killed for leather endure castration, branding, and tail-docking, all without painkillers, before being skinned and dismembered, sometimes while they’re still alive.
Moreover, the leather industry has a devastating impact on the Earth, from the carbon emissions produced by raising animals to the toxic tanneries that pollute nearby water supplies and expose workers to excessive amounts of chemicals, including arsenic.
Industry reports have found leather to be the fashion industry’s most polluting material.
PETA entities have released dozens of videos revealing that during shearing, workers hit, kick, and mutilate sheep for their wool.
The process is a violent and frightening experience for most sheep.
Shearers are paid by volume, not by the hour, which encourages fast, rough handling that leaves the sheep with gaping wounds.
Once their wool production declines, millions of sheep are exported on extremely crowded, filthy, disease-ridden ships to face terrifying slaughter abroad.