Partners

February 21, 2012

Dear Customers,

As you may be aware there has been recent media coverage regarding the use of grey goose down from geese raised for foie gras. As our valued partners, we want to assure you that we respect your right to privacy and will not respond to any media queries regarding your business. 

Allied Feather & Down is committed to transparency in the way we conduct our business and to working with our partners to identify and implement humane and ethical supply chain solutions tailored to meet your needs.

We sincerely appreciate your support and partnership and we look forward to many more successful years of doing business together.

We are available to address any questions that you may have.  Our media statement, clarifying our position on this issue is posted below.

Sincerely,
Steve Uretsky, President

Allied Feather and Down Corp.

ALLIED FEATHER & DOWN MEDIA STATEMENT

Allied Feather & Down is committed to the humane and ethical treatment of all animals. We work diligently and in partnership with our customers to implement compliance procedures and policies to ensure that the product we receive from our suppliers does not come from live-plucked birds. While we do not condone the practice of force feeding geese for foie gras, we believe that this is an issue that must be handled by the food industry who are the financial drivers of the practice. Down is a by-product of the food industry and as such the feeding practices should be addressed by the industries that are driving the practice and benefitting from it.  We purchase products from many suppliers in countries around the world. We go to great lengths to certify the ethical and business practices of our suppliers. Our goal is always to be transparent about how and where we source our products.  As part of our commitment to the integrity of our supply chain, we are continually evaluating new options for suppliers and have instituted audit and compliance policies with our vendors to validate their business practices. We are also one of the founding members and are actively involved with the Outdoor Industry Association and Textile Exchange Materials Traceability Steering Committee where we are collaborating with members of the outdoor industry to develop new standards and methodologies for tracking product through the complex down and feather supply chain. Allied Feather is hopeful that the food industry will find an alternative to the force feeding of geese. We are also continually seeking new and alternative supply chains for our product.

Daniel Uretsky, General Counsel, Allied Feather & Down