PETA Urged Trade Me to Ban Badger-Hair Products
The animal rights organization has requested that the platform cease the sale of items made from badger fur.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Beauty
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PETA has called on Trade Me CEO Kul Singh Kargil to prohibit the sale of badger-hair brushes on his platform. This demand follows a new exposé that documented extreme animal cruelty at badger farms in China.
Why it matters
The organization asserts that badger-hair operations involve significant animal suffering, including beating and stabbing. PETA aims to pressure retailers to move away from these products due to these welfare concerns.
China exported over 66,000 kilograms of badger hair in 2024. More than 100 brands have ceased selling these products since 2018, while the latest PETA exposé documented conditions at eight farms in China.
The players
PETA
This is a global nonprofit organization that focuses on animal rights and campaigns against the use of animals for commercial products.
Trade Me
This is a prominent online marketplace based in New Zealand where various goods are bought and sold by consumers.
Kul Singh Kargil
He is the chief executive officer of the online marketplace Trade Me.
The details
PETA claims that badgers on the investigated farms are held in wire cages and subjected to violence, including instances where workers allegedly beat or stab conscious animals to harvest their hair. While Trade Me faces pressure to act, other entities like The Barbershop Co. and Shaver Shop have already committed to phasing out or delisting badger-hair goods.
Timeline
Since 2018, over 100 brands have stopped selling badger-hair products.
China exported more than 66,000 kilograms of badger hair throughout 2024.
PETA issued its demand to Trade Me on September 30, 2026.
Culture Shift
This effort follows the pattern set by the 2018 PETA badger-hair industry exposé that sparked a global movement away from animal-derived grooming tools. The initiative represents a broader push within the beauty and personal care sectors to adopt more ethical sourcing standards.
Consumers may find fewer shaving or makeup brushes containing badger hair available on major online marketplaces as retailers respond to pressure. Shoppers can opt for synthetic alternatives, which have become more widely accessible as brands transition away from animal hair.
The takeaway
The ongoing transition toward synthetic alternatives demonstrates that consumer pressure can effectively reshape industry standards for grooming tools. Readers interested in ethical shopping can check product labels to confirm whether brushes are made from synthetic fibers instead of badger hair.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest developments in the Beauty industry and ethical sourcing trends.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Scoop.
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