Animals Used for Clothing

Silk

To produce just one hundred grams of silk, approximately 1,500 worms are killed. Some chrysalis are kept aside to allow the moths to emerge and mate. Once the female moth lays eggs, she is crushed to check for diseases. If she seems diseased, her eggs are destroyed. After mating, male moths are dumped into a basket and thrown out. Because of generations of inbreeding, they no longer have the ability to fly. Birds commonly pick at them from bins outside silk manufacturing centers.

Alternatives to Silk

There are many soft, smooth and shimmering synthetic materials that are similar to silk known as Artificial or Art Silk and China (not Chinese) Silk. Of these, rayon is of vegetable origin and nylon and polyester are petroleum products.