KER Kering

By Dieter Holger

Kering (KER.FR) has set its first complete guidelines for the humane treatment of animals slaughtered for fashion, it said Monday, as the industry scrambles to shore up its ethics.

The French fashion group, which owns brands including Gucci and Balenciaga, said it was introducing the guidelines to its suppliers, rating their treatment of animals on a three-tiered scale from bronze to gold.

Farms slaughtering animals ranging from calves to crocodiles will work with Kering to meet the standards, providing the animals with room to move around freely, access to clean, fresh water and a nutritionally appropriate diet--among other guidelines, Kering said. The standards also prohibit intensive farming and subtherapeutic antibiotic treatments, which can prompt antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

"We hope for widespread adoption of the standards through collaborating with our suppliers, our peers in luxury, the fashion industry at large, and with the food sector," Marie-Claire Daveu, chief sustainability officer and head of international institutional affairs at Kering, said.

The fashion industry has faced mounting scrutiny from animal-rights activists in recent years. Last year, Versace and Gucci said they would stop using animal fur, joining Armani, Ralph Lauren Corp. (RL), Michael Kors and Hugo Boss AG (BOSS.XE).

Some fashion houses are also funding tech companies that are working to grow leather in laboratories.

Write to Dieter Holger at dieter.holger@dowjones.com; @dieterholger

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 13, 2019 06:35 ET (10:35 GMT)

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