Compassion in Fashion: Sustainability and the Global Fur Trade (FutureLearn)

Learn how fashion designers and businesses can make more compassionate choices to build fur-free, sustainable fashion brands. Explore why sustainability in fashion begins with fur-free. As the fashion industry’s future leaders and decision-makers, students in the fashion industry today have the potential to steer the industry to a fur-free and sustainable future. On this course, you’ll examine fashion sustainability through the lens of the fur industry.

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As you learn about how the fur production process impacts animals, humans, and the environment, you’ll have the chance to reflect on what you want your future in fashion to look like.
Uncover the environmental impact of the fashion industry

You’ll start the course by developing your knowledge of how the fashion industry impacts air, water, land, and waste pollution.

Using fur farming as a focus topic, you’ll develop your understanding of the fur production process, learning how the fur trade impacts everyone from the farmers themselves to animal welfare.
Discover the animal, human, and environmental impact of the fur trade

Not only will you learn about the sustainability issues relating to fur, you’ll also discover design philosophies and business strategies for building fashion businesses that are more compassionate to animals and kinder to the environment.

You’ll examine the business manifestos of a variety of fashion designers, brands, and businesses and have the chance to use these to create a fashion business manifesto and career plan of your own.
Gain a fur-free perspective on fashion with ACTAsia and John Lau, Associate Dean at London College of Fashion

ACTAsia has worked on the fur issue in China and globally for over a decade. John Lau, Associate Dean at London College of Fashion has developed the curriculum for this course, and supports ACTAsia as an advisor.

You’ll learn how to identify and change the practices within the industry that damage and exploit the environment, people, and animals.
What topics will you cover?

- Fur-free fashion

- Sustainability in the fashion industry

- Environmental impact of the fur industry and fashion

- Human welfare and the impact of the fashion industry

- Animal welfare and the impact of the fur industry

- Critical thinking, values building, business and communications

- Professional career development & support (manifesto & option streams)

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Demonstrate research to identify and critique the need to protect natural resources and raw materials.

- Investigate the dangers and toxicity to humans and the environment of the fur process including to preserve and dye.

- Evaluate the impact of fur farming and farmers’ wellbeing.

- Describe the global scale of the fur business and production.

- Assess and create a manifesto for a fashion brand.