Project 1882
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Dismantling the Fur Industry

Historical achievements

There are still millions of fur animals farmed in Europe, but most of the fur industry has been phased out due to stricter regulations, fur free retailers and national bans. On this page you can read more about historical achievements for fur animals.

What has happened

The fur industry was introduced to Europe in the early 1900s and grew rapidly. Foxes, mink and chinchillas were kept in small cages to be sold for their fur. Since then, thanks to Project 1882 and the global alliance of other animal rights organisations, animal welfare concerns have become more prominent in society and several investigations have led to restrictions and the phasing out of most of the fur farms. As many as 20 countries in Europe are in the process to, or have already phased out, all fur farms.(1)

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Historical achievements

Fur Free Europe

The European citizens' initiative Fur Free Europe ended on March 1, 2023, more than two months ahead of schedule. This is thanks to a record number of signatures already collected from EU citizens.

In less than 10 months, more than 1.5 million people signed the petition calling for an EU ban on fur farming and trade in fur products. 

The citizens' initiative Fur Free Europe was launched in May 2022 and is endorsed by Project 1882 together with more than 80 other organizations in Europe. The aim is to ban fur farming and trade in fur products throughout the EU. For the initiative to move forward in the political process, it requires at least 1 million validated signatures, which has already been secured with a good margin.

The initiative has been presented in a hearing in the European Parliament, and the European Commission will decide within six months whether to present a legislative proposal based on the initiative. At the latest at the end of 2023. Project 1882 continues to work for all parties to agree that fur farming has no place in the future and hope they therefore take the opportunity to express their support for a phase-out at EU level.

Project 1882 has long campaigned for a complete phase-out of the fur industry and this is an important step towards making it a reality.

  1. Fur Free Alliance. Fur bans. Page accessed 2023-09-18.
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Project 1882 works for the animals that are the most exploited and suffer the worst. Thanks to your support, we can continue improving the situation for fur animals and dismantle the fur industry.

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