Even all vegans don’t know: Why isn’t silk vegan?

It takes about 5,000 silkworm or mulberry moth caterpillars to produce one kilogram. The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of a certain type of mulberry tree, and after eating enough, it is wrapped in an 800-meter-long silk thread that it produces with the help of a cloth. This thread is untied and processed by human hands for silk production.

Moths should be prevented from hatching.

Renato Pichler, 54, of Swissveg, the largest advocacy group for vegans and vegetarians in Switzerland, says the fact that silk is an animal-made product is just one of the reasons why silk isn’t vegan. Another reason for this is animal suffering caused by silk production.

The caterpillar of the mulberry moth develops into a moth. When it hatches, it damages the silk thread of the cocoon that surrounds it. To prevent this from happening, it is important to interrupt this process at an early stage. To do this, the cocoons are placed in boiling water or exposed to other heat sources, whereupon the caterpillars die. This is animal cruelty, says Pichler. There are animal-friendly processes for producing silk, but they are extremely complex.

Too much work, little income

In order for the caterpillars to turn into moths and hatch without breaking the cocoon, a loophole must be made for them. To do this, someone draws each cocoon by hand. In India this is usually done by women from village communities. Unlike the traditional method, since the cocoon is perforated, it provides relatively short yarns that must be spun before weaving.

From a vegan’s perspective, animal-friendly silk is comparable to animal-friendly milk, Pichler says. “Less bad.” The most animal friendly thing is still not producing any silk. Not to mention the ecological damage it does. “A lot of pesticides are used to grow mulberry trees.”