The NWT government says it is “extremely concerned” about what Etsy’s impending fur ban will mean for the territory’s artisans and harvesters.
The online global marketplace announced this month it will prohibit the sale of products containing “natural fur from animals killed primarily for their pelts” effective August 11.
Etsy said the move is part of “ongoing biodiversity efforts.”
While animal rights groups that pushed for the ban are celebrating that decision, advocates for Canada’s fur sector say they are concerned about the impact it could have, particularly on Indigenous artists and trappers.
“We know that many NWT residents, and especially Indigenous fine craft artists, use Etsy to sell products that incorporate fur,” a spokesperson for the NWT’s Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment told Cabin Radio in a statement.
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“Although Etsy is just making this official announcement now, we know of many NWT artists who have been removed from the platform in the past for selling products with fur and seal.”
The spokesperson said the NWT government is connecting with Indigenous governments and the other territories to “understand the full scope of how these changes might affect residents and businesses and how we can advocate for them in large national and international markets.”
The statement noted the ban announcement comes amid “a fur resurgence” with record-breaking sales of NWT fur at a March auction.
Ban counter to biodiversity, Fur Institute says
The Fur Institute of Canada is also worried about how Etsy’s fur ban will affect rural, remote and Indigenous communities that it says are “on the frontlines of defending biodiversity landscapes.”
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“For many of these communities, the fur trade is an essential source of income, which allows them to maintain culture, heritage and traditional lifeways in the face of enormous pressure to allow large-scale extractive industries or infrastructure in their homelands,” executive director Doug Chiasson wrote in a letter to Etsy officials.
Chiasson told Cabin Radio Etsy’s statement that the fur ban is part of biodiversity efforts is “one of the most galling, most shameful parts of all this” as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework acknowledges the sust “very clearly spells out that sustainable use of wildlife is an important part of biodiversity conservation.”
Beyond having a direct impact on Canadian artisans who sell fur products on Etsy, Chiasson said the ban will have broader negative impacts on Canadian trappers due to Etsy’s influence on global market chains.
“Etsy is emblematic,” he said.
“Etsy is a brand that a lot of people know, a lot of people are going to hear about.”
Chaisson is urging Etsy to consult with artisans and wildlife experts and design a policy that allows for the sale of ethical and sustainable fur.
He said he is still waiting for a response to his letter.
Etsy did not respond to Cabin Radio’s request for comment.
