H&M claims to care about animals—but sheep are still suffering for the wool on its racks.

PETA is calling on the global fashion giant to ban wool after a PETA Asia investigation exposed workers kicking, beating, and dragging terrified sheep and leaving them bleeding at a South African wool farm. The farm sells wool through the same certified South African wool pipeline that supplies H&M Group.

Sheep Beaten, Cut, and Left Bleeding for ‘Responsible’ Wool

The disturbing footage shows workers kicking sheep in the head and body, striking them in the face with shearing equipment, beating them with a piece of wood, and dragging lambs by their legs. One worker dropped his knee onto a ram’s neck, slamming the animal’s head against the floor. Workers sheared sheep so quickly and carelessly that they sliced into their skin, leaving bloody wounds. The investigator also documented a dead lamb and a lamb suffering from a maggot-infested wound.

And this wasn’t some operation without the industry’s stamp of approval. Both NATIVA and the Responsible Wool Standard certified the farm—exactly the kinds of certifications that companies use to convince shoppers that wool is somehow “responsible.”

But no label can make cruelty kind, and no certification can protect sheep from the inherent cruelty of the wool industry.

PETA entities have released 17 exposés of more than 150 wool-industry operations in seven countries on four continents, repeatedly documenting workers beating, cutting, and otherwise abusing sheep.  

Why Is PETA Calling on H&M to Ban Wool?

H&M continues to rely on third-party certifications rather than stop selling wool—even though PETA entities have repeatedly exposed cruelty at supposedly “responsible” and “ethical” operations.

The solution is simple: H&M should ban wool.

PETA Supporters Take the Message Straight to H&M

And PETA entities aren’t waiting quietly. PETA will keep the pressure on H&M worldwide—from eye-catching protests to shareholder actions to billboard campaigns—until the company stops selling wool.

August 10, 2026: Stockholm

To kick off an international campaign calling on H&M to ban wool, PETA supporters descended on an H&M store in Stockholm—H&M’s home city—wearing “bloodied” clothing and cradling a partly skinned “dead lamb.” Their signs left shoppers with no doubt about the message: “Sheep Suffer. H&M: Ditch Wool!”

H&M Already Knows It Can Choose Animal-Free Fashion

H&M has shown before that it can make progress for animals.

In 2021, PETA and H&M collaborated on the Co-exist Story, a collection featuring innovative vegan materials including wildflower-derived FLWRDWN, grape-skin-derived VEGEA, and regenerated ECONYL nylon. And after another PETA campaign, H&M committed in 2024 to stop selling virgin down. H&M has demonstrated that it can move away from selling clothing that causes animals to suffer. There’s no excuse for dragging its feet on wool.

Sheep Need You: Tell H&M to Ban Wool

Sheep aren’t sweaters. They’re gentle, social individuals who form strong bonds with one another and can become depressed when separated from their flock. Yet the wool industry treats them as wool-producing machines.

Fashion should be about creativity—not bloodshed. Warm, stylish vegan materials are readily available, and no sheep needs to be kicked, cut, or terrified for a sweater or coat.

H&M can either continue hiding behind certifications that fail to protect sheep or listen to consumers and leave sheep in peace.

Join PETA in calling on H&M to ban wool now.

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