Down is the soft plumage that grows under a goose or duck's outer feathers, collected at slaughter or, on some farms, by live-plucking a bird kept alive to be plucked again. US labelling rules govern how honest the percentage on the tag has to be, not how the bird was treated.
Made fromUnderlayer plumage of a goose or duck
Collected bySlaughter byproduct, or live-plucking on some farms
Vegan swapsPrimaLoft, recycled polyester and other synthetic fill
VerdictNot vegan
Where it hides
Puffer jackets, gilets and ski wear filled to a stated "fill power"
Duvets, pillows and sleeping bags
"Down-alternative" bedding that is sometimes a down blend, not down-free
Feather trim on hats or costume pieces
What it is
Down is the soft, insulating layer of plumage closest to a goose or duck's skin, distinct from the flat, quilled feathers on the outside. Most of it is collected as a byproduct when the bird is slaughtered for meat or foie gras, but a portion of the global supply is live-plucked: workers pull the plumage from a bird kept alive and plucked again months later, a practice documented widely enough that a certification scheme, the Responsible Down Standard, exists specifically to verify a supply chain avoids it.
How to check the label
US rules govern the honesty of a down claim rather than the welfare behind it:
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When a label identifies a particular species (for example, "goose down" or "duck down"), only a modest deviation because of unavoidable manufacturing variations, despite the exercise of due care, is acceptable.
A "100% down" claim is never quite literal either, since some broken feather is unavoidable in processing. None of that tells a shopper whether the bird was live-plucked, so the practical check is a stated welfare certification, Responsible Down Standard or Global Traceable Down Standard, or a straight switch to a synthetic fill sold plainly as such, such as PrimaLoft or recycled polyester.
WoolWool is fibre sheared from a sheep's fleece, or combed from a goat for mohair and cashmere, and that is the fibre's legal definition. Shearing alone does not kill the sheep, but the wool trade runs on the same farms that supply the meat trade.
LeatherLeather is an animal's tanned skin or hide, almost always cattle, and US labelling rules say a product can only be called leather if it is made in all substantial parts of it. Plant and lab-grown alternatives exist, but they need a different name on the tag to be legal.
CashmereCashmere is the fine undercoat combed or sheared from a cashmere goat each spring, and US law even sets a fibre-diameter limit for what may carry the name. It is wool's more exclusive cousin, not a different kind of material.
Frequently asked
Is all down live-plucked?
No, most down is collected after the bird is slaughtered for meat. Live-plucking is a real and documented practice on some farms, mainly feeding certain markets, and it is the reason welfare certifications for down exist at all.
What's a good vegan alternative to down?
Synthetic insulation such as PrimaLoft, Thermoball or recycled polyester fill is the standard swap, and modern versions get close to down's warmth-to-weight ratio without any animal input.
Does "responsibly sourced down" mean vegan?
No. It means the down came from a supply chain certified against force-feeding and live-plucking, a genuine welfare improvement, but the down is still a bird's plumage, so the product itself is not vegan.
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