Burlington’s Faux-Fur Deception: Chinese Animal Pelts Sold Under a Humane Label

Designer Scandals & Falls from Grace4/5 wildness

Burlington’s Faux-Fur Deception: Chinese Animal Pelts Sold Under a Humane Label

Burlington Coat Factory / 2000s

Burlington Coat Factory became the subject of an investigation by the Humane Society of the United States after products advertised as “faux fur” were found to contain real animal pelts. An undercover investigation traced the deception to coats made with fur from animals killed in China, and subsequent examinations of garments sold by Burlington and comparable retailers identified hair from raccoon dogs—animals frequently used in the international fur trade and often killed for their pelts. The scandal exposed a particularly ugly vulnerability in off-price retail: merchandise could move through complex, low-cost supply chains while labels concealed the origin and nature of the material. Burlington agreed to remove the misleading advertisements, but the episode intensified scrutiny of fur-labeling practices, supplier oversight, and the ability of consumers to distinguish synthetic fibers from real animal hair in mass-market clothing.