Brief: Stop animals used for clothing
Insight: The market doesn’t reflect consumer demand
Solution: A browser extension that hides animal products
+ JANUARY 2023
REVISITED APR. 2026
The market does not care about what you want.
This became apparent when PETA requested an idea that would stop animals being used for clothing. Because it turns out that the solution didn’t require us to change peoples minds. We just needed to provide a tool that could help people live in accordence with their already existing values. Luckily, the tech is already available, simple and familiar to consumers.
❧
In 2021, The Vegan Society released their report “The Rise of Vegan Fashion” which shows that the public has gone through a change in attitude and awareness of animal rights in fashion. The report contains a survey aimed at men and women of working age all throughout the UK where participants reveal a discrepancy in consumer will and consumer behaviour:
ⓘ 95% want more vegan clothing options
So when facing the question of vegan vs. non-vegan clothing, people intuitively sympathize with the animals.
The question is how we can help them change their lifestyle.
- 61% BELIEVE THE USE OF FUR IS CRUEL
- 37% BELIEVE THE USE OF LEATHER IS CRUEL
- 74% ARE WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR PLANT-BASED LEATHER COMPARED TO ANIMAL LEATHER
The Rise of Vegan Fashion ☍
Personally, I’m not a big believer in consumer power. Life is full of choices that require thorough consideration while consumerism is more like an itch in need of a quick scratch, e.g. when you need a new sweater – you pick one from the options presented to you. I am however a big believer in the internet, and in this case it presents an opportunity to do something you can’t do when visiting a physical store:
Change their supply before you go through the door.
Peta Block is a browser extension that removes animal-based clothing from online stores.
Like ad blockers it works by automatically removing unwanted content before it is shown on your screen. The result is a fully vegan browsing experience with no more cadavers available for order.
We believe this is an issue where Peta doesn’t need to change peoples minds. Most of us already share their sentiment. Instead, we should help people to break free and stop swallowing what the market has been feeding them.
One click could make it all go away.
Keep scrolling or never buy an animal online again
Modding the experience
This technique is easy to deploy and the concept of ad-blockers is already familiar to consumers, with almost 32% of all internet users utilizing them.
Multiple sources claim that they are most popular in Asia with Indonesia, Vietnam and China topping the list. In Indonesia, a common reason is that mobile phone users don’t want to waste their limited data plans on advertising and in China, according to this one comment (🤷), ad blocking compatibility has become a sales argument for phone retailers.
- 31.5% OF INTERNET USERS WORLDWIDE USE AD BLOCKING TOOLS
- 41% OF U.S. INTERNET USERS IN THE 18–24 AGE GROUP
- IN 2024, AD BLOCKING SOLUTIONS WERE FORECASTED TO COST PUBLISHERS $54 BILLION IN LOST ADVERTISING REVENUE, EQUALING AROUND 8% OF TOTAL DIGITAL AD SPEND
Source ☍
Asia is a part of the world where animals enjoy very little protection while humans there, more than anywhere else, understand that you can control what you want to see on the internet. Even on your phone.
That is an opportunity that shouldn’t be neglected.
The Campaign
The display of a murdered animal is a shocking sight. Even more so when sold en masse as something tacky you’d wear two times to a cheap night club before it’s starting to feel dirty and destined for the ever growing mountain of garment garbage.
We don’t want to see animals that way. We want to see animals as they should be seen. As someone who is incredibly important to others around them. Someone you play with, learn from and can’t imagine living without.
The campaign seeks to invoke the feeling of not wanting to wear animals by highlighting our similarities. All while explaining that most clothes already are vegan and that Peta is offering a low effort solution that can change your habits.
At a later stage we use the collected data to compile a naughty list from which we can target some of the worst culprits.
Closing thoughts
Slacktivism is a term that has received a lot of ridicule. When people are following each other to create hollow movements instead of actually doing something, it’s deserved, since that’s a misuse of the great tool that the internet can be. But even at that low point, it’s a good way to highlight issues where people long for something different, even if their feelings aren’t strong enough to keep them in pursuit of the change they want.
Peta Block is a solution that requires nothing more than slacktivism, where a simple click actually makes a big difference.
The subject of animals used for clothing provoke strong feelings and I believe many people at some point have felt disgusted by it. In this case the antidote is available in seconds and in a years time, your mind should be completely cleansed from the horrors that the market has been feeding you.
I get that Peta feels the need to shock the public, but I also think they should recognize that people are being shocked all the time and provide an alternative. After all, this seems to be what people want.
I also believe that this plugin is a great tool for collecting tangible data without compromising the integrity of its users. It would provide Peta with great insight on how the market of animal remains is behaving and evolving. They could detect sudden spikes and drops or notice how one animal silently replaces another, using nothing but information already provided by retailers. As of writing this, that sort of data isn’t available, which is a shame, since I believe that simply sharing it is an easy method for gaining mainstream media traction to issues that are currently struggling to stay relevant.