Victory! ELLE Magazine Bans The Worldwide Promotion Of Animal Fur In The High Fashion Magazine & Online

ELLE Magazine took a major step in joining the fur-free movement by announcing that it has committed to ending the promotion of animal fur from its editorial content, images, and advertisements.

The news was revealed last week at Business of Fashion’s 2021 VOICES event in London. The decision follows dialogue between ELLE’s brand owner, Lagardère Group, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society International (HSI), and Creatives4Change.

“The world has changed and the end of the use of fur is aligned with the course of history,” Constance Benqué, CEO of ELLE International said in a statement. “We hope that, with this commitment, ELLE will open the path for other media to disallow fur promotion, all around the globe, and promote a fur-free future.”

ELLE created a charter to disallow editorial content that promotes animal fur on its pages, websites, and social media. This includes no animal fur in editorials, press images, runway, and street style images. The sanction, which is in alignment with Fur Free Alliance’s definition of fur, also no longer allows the depiction of animal fur in any advertisements on its pages and online.

“The presence of animal fur in our pages and on our digital media is no longer in line with our values, nor our readers,” noted Valéria Bessolo LLopiz, Senior Vice President and International Director of ELLE. “It is time for ELLE to make a statement on this matter, a statement that reflects our attention to the critical issues of protecting and caring for the environment and animals, while rejecting animal cruelty. It is also an opportunity for ELLE to increase awareness for animal welfare, bolster the demand for sustainable and innovative alternatives, and foster a more humane fashion industry.”

All ELLE editions around the world signed it, which includes publications in Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UK, Ukraine, USA, and Vietnam.

For 13 of those editions, the charter is already effective. Another 20 will be effective as of January 1, 2022. The remaining editions will be effective as of January 1, 2023.

“This announcement will ignite positive change throughout the entire fashion industry and has the potential to save countless animals from a life of suffering and a cruel death,” stated PJ Smith, director of fashion policy for the HSUS and HSI. “ELLE’s leadership will also drive innovation for more sustainable and humane alternatives.”

The ELLE network that will be impacted by this announcement includes:

– 45 editions worldwide
– 21 million readers per month
– 6.6 million copies sold per month
– 175 million total reach
– 46 websites, 100 million unique visitors, 400 million pages viewed, and multiple mobile and tablet apps

You can help all animals and our planet by choosing compassion on your plate and in your glass. #GoVeg