Socio-Economic Impact

• Retail Fur sales worldwide totalled US$13 billion in 2008, an increase of over 58% compared to the end of the 1990s.
• In the UK, there has been a significant growth in fur sales over the same period.
• EU retail turnover was €3billion in 2008.
• Today, fur is not only sold through fur retailers but through many fashion houses and designer boutiques.
• More than 1 million people are employed full-time in the fur industry worldwide.
• Nearly 117,000 fur enterprises exist worldwide – retailers,  manufacturers, dressers, brokers, etc.
• In the UK fur brokers buy a large part of the world’s fur at auction such as in Helsinki, Copenhagen and North America representing a turnover of some £400-£500 million a year for the UK.
• In Denmark fur farming was worth 750 million Euro in 2006  and is that country’s third largest export after bacon and cheese.
• In Finland, fur farming is worth 250 million Euro. It is more valuable than beef farming and helps to maintain viable rural communities.
• In the USA, retail sales of full fur and trim garments are worth US$1.2 billion with a total of 189,550 people employed in the fur industry, full and part time.
• In Canada, fur contributes C$800 million to the Canadian economy, with about 70,000 people involved in all sectors of the trade.
• Hong Kong is the world’s largest importer of farmed fur skins and remains the leading exporter of fine fur garments to the value of more than US$ 320 million annually.
• In Russia, the value of the fur trade is over US$2.5 billion.
• The fur trade helps support the traditional lifestyles and cultural values of many Aboriginal Canadians, Alaskans, ‘Cajun’ Louisianans, Siberians, Namibians and Afghans who live in regions hostile to most agricultural activities.  Participation in the fur trade allows them to maintain and reinforce their traditional lifestyle and cultural values.

Fur - the natural responsible choice