Fur kills animals, faux fur kills the environment. What is better?

Ethics aside, which is less harmful to the environment?

There’s a good chance you’re rocking some faux fur at the moment or at least have some tucked away in your wardrobe somewhere. Maybe it’s that red fluffy key chain or the inside of your winter jacket, your fuzzy earmuffs, maybe the lining of your bag, or those boots. Faux fur is dominating the fashion industry as the alternative to real fur.

It appears to be the more ethical choice for British shoppers because no animals are harmed in its production. After all, from #veganuary to the ban on plastic straws, environmentalism is totally in vogue right now, right?

Many big fashion houses like Chanel, Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo, which originally popularised fur in the fashion industry, have recently turned away from using exotic animal skins and real fur, and are now using synthetic versions and fluffy faux furs. And at the other end of the market, clothing stores like H&M, Primark and Forever 21 are regularly updating their inventories with ethical fashion in mind, to keep customers with a lower budget up to date with the latest trends.

But how environment-friendly is fake fur really, compared to the real deal?