I need to preface this by saying that I am a vegan (who wears leather – so take that for what it’s worth) partially because I don’t believe that humans should consume or use other animals’ milk. Cow’s milk is for calves, not for babies – or adult humans for that matter. I also don’t think that milk production – as it is engaged in now, is sustainable OR ethical. The dairy cow industry is far from angelic, and the UN states that the cattle industry is THE major contributor to the increase in greenhouse gases.
Milk Fabric dress by FIN
So keep that in mind when reading this article at the WSJ: “Style’s New Sustainable Frontier” that among other things, deals with new materials like MILK fabric and nonviolent silk.
I’m not going to get into the whole “argument” again (read my first anti-milk-silk post here), but I just have to say that I’m disappointed (again) that the “journalist” writing the story didn’t mention anything about the cattle industry’s negative environmental footprint or the ethics of forcing a dairy cow to continually produce milk (here’s how they do that).
The author does mention that fabric made from milk
frees up land that would otherwise have been used to grow cotton, a crop vilified for its intense water consumption and high pesticide use
but doesn’t also mention that (source)
Cattle-rearing is also a major source of land and water degradation
and
Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems
which in my mind kind of negates any possible benefit from “freeing up land from cotton production.”
What are your thoughts? Is milk fabric ethical & sustainable? Am I missing something?
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I could not agree more with your take on things here. I am only a vegetarian who is working on going vegan (no longer do milk or butter) and find this whole concept insane.
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