BRUSSELS - The European Commission has decided to remove Russian sable fur pelts from the list of items banned from trade under the EU sanctions list, which was introduced to limit Russia’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine. The move comes following requests for an exemption from Italy and Greece, the two main EU buyers of Russian sable pelts. Humane World for Animals, formerly Humane Society International, deems this an indefensible concession to the fur industry.
Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane World for Animals Europe, says:
“At a time when Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine, it is outrageous that the Commission has chosen to reopen the door to one of Russia’s most exclusive luxury exports. Sable fur fashion is not an essential need, it is a frivolous status symbol produced through cruelty to animals and sold to serve an industry whose business model belongs firmly in the past. Yielding to the fur industry lobby in this way exposes a deeply troubling double standard. The EU cannot credibly maintain sanctions on Russian luxury goods while carving out exemptions for the raw materials that allow luxury fur manufacturing to continue inside Europe. This decision risks enabling European companies to profit from Russian fur pelts while presenting the public with the fiction of a principled sanctions regime and solidarity with Ukraine.”
Exemptions to the EU’s Russia sanctions are intended to protect civilian necessities, such as food, medicine and humanitarian needs, not luxury consumption. News reports suggest that the only rationale being given by the Commission for the exemption of Russian sable pelts is to secure a supply chain for a high-value product for an extremely niche sector of the fashion industry. It is reprehensible that national commercial lobbying is apparently misshaping EU sanctions in this way.
Humane World for Animals reminds the European Commission that more than 1.5 million citizens signed the European Citizens’ Initiative for a Fur Free Europe, which calls for an EU-wide ban on fur farming and fur imports and sales. While the final decision on its policy response has already been delayed by five months, we note that the EU should be closing every loophole that sustains demand for fur, not creating new ones.
We urge EU Member States to contest the granting of the exemption for the import of Russian sable pelts and call on the European Commission to reinstate these fur items on the sanctions list immediately.
Notes:
- The ban on the export of finished fur garments from EU Member States to Russia remains in place. It is noted that Greece has already paid out €3.5 million to domestic fur manufacturing and wholesale businesses due to trade sanctions on the important Russian market.
- Fur farming is already banned in 24 European countries, including 18 Member States. However, more than 6 million mink, fox, raccoon dogs and other animals are still confined in small wire cages on almost 1,200 fur farms in the EU.
- According to the 2025 report A full-cost account of the EU fur industry, EU fur farming has seen a dramatic decline, mirroring a global downturn. The number of animals killed and pelted for their fur has declined by 86% in the last decade, to 6.3 million animals in 2024. The value of fur pelt sales has declined by 92% in the same period, to an estimated €183 million in 2024. As existing phase-out periods come to an end by 2028, production is expected to decline by a further 15-20%.
- Most leading designers have fur-free policies including Max Mara, Saint Laurent, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Valentino, Prada, Armani, Versace, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, DKNY, Burberry and Chanel. Fashion houses are choosing to innovate with sustainable, cruelty-free alternatives.
- Fashion Weeks including Copenhagen, London and New York have dropped the use of fur from their events, and publishers of titles including Vogue, Elle, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Esquire and Vanity Fair have committed to fur exclusion policies.
