Vegan celebrity Mena Suvari is taking a stand for animals used in bedding. In a letter to the US homewares store Bed Bath & Beyond she urged the company to stop selling products made with down feathers.
“You can count me among the loyal Bed Bath & Beyond customers who flock to your store for design and decor inspiration. But today, I’m urging you to consider doing a little renovation and modernization of your own — and moving beyond cruelty — by removing down from your shelves entirely and offering only down-alternative bedding and fabrics,” Suvari wrote.
The actress partnered with PETA in an anti-down campaign after learning about the animal abuse inherent within the down industry. In a tweet posted last September, Suvari wrote, “Please educate yourselves and support! Go #downalternative. Thank you @peta for opening my ashamed eyes.”
Not only is she banning down from her own household, she is asking others to do the same. Suvari posed for a new anti-down print ad for the animal rights non-profit, and also participated in a filmed interview where she explained why she ditched down.
In the letter to Bed Bath & Beyond, Suvari passed on the same information that first compelled her to speak up. “Investigation after investigation has revealed that supply-house workers clamp live birds upside down between their knees and rip out handfuls of feathers as the geese and ducks struggle and squawk,” she wrote, and continued, “Open wounds resulting from this barbaric plucking are hastily sewn up with needle and thread.”
Suvari will represent PETA at Bed Bath & Beyond’s annual meeting this Friday to follow up on her letter. She hopes to work with the company to find an agreeable solution. She concluded, “Your company already offers significantly more cruelty-free, allergen-free, and down-free options—so ditching down is a feasible and smart next step…. I know Bed Bath & Beyond would be an inspiring model for other businesses if it made this savvy, compassionate change.”
Image Credit: Mena Suvari
