The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) recently filed a petition with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against luxury retailer Neiman Marcus to enforce a consent order from 2013 that claimed the retailer engaged in false advertising and sale of fur garments marked as faux.
In the consent order, the retailer was ordered to stop these activities but according to HSUS, has yet to do so. The Society noted in the petition that it has amassed evidence that the retailer recently sold fur garments that are “falsely and misleadingly advertised and labeled as faux fur when, in fact, the garments include real animal fur.”
Investigators from found three “faux” fur trimmed boots that were falsely labeled on the retailer’s website in March.
Under the Fur Products Labeling Act, garments must be labeled with the name of the animal type used to make the product, the manufacturer, country of origin in order to protect unfair competition in the marketplace and protect consumers by providing accurate product information.
“Many Americans are opposed to buying or wearing animal fur because they object to rabbits, foxes, coyotes and other animals suffering and dying for frivolous trimmings on jackets and shoes. American consumers deserve to have the facts, and should be able to make socially-conscious decisions while shopping. Yet they continue to be duped by companies like Neiman Marcus, DrJays.com and others. Hopefully, the FTC will make a very needed and important course correction and begin taking meaningful enforcement action, including proactive investigations in its own right,” HSUS noted.
Neiman Marcus and several other national and international retailers were petitioned for the same issue in 2011, 2008 and 2007. Other offenders of the Fur Products Labeling Act include DrJays.com and Eminent Inc.
HSUS requested that the FTC take prompt action as appropriate to seize the deceptively labeled goods, initiate proceedings for an injunction relief and impose monetary penalties which can cost up to $5,000 per violation.