Woolworths South Africa Recalls T-Shirts With Animal Fur Pom-Poms

Woolworths South Africa is recalling three children’s t-shirts due to the use of fur in their pom-poms, which is not compliant with Woolworths’ policies. Over 1,000 had already been sold.

“We deeply apologise to any customers who have bought these t-shirts; please return them to any Woolworths store for a full refund,” the company said on Facebook.

In comments on the their page, Woolworths said they were “alerted indirectly” by a Woolworths Head Office colleague.

The company said in a statement that it had removed the t-shirts from its shelves as soon as they were alerted to the potential use of animal fur, and that subsequent independent testing had confirmed that “the fibre used in the pom-pom trim is indeed animal fur”.

Woolworths blamed the error on their supplier who “purchased trims from a 3rd party based on our synthetic specifications and did not test whether the fibre was synthetic or from animal fur. They are now placing additional emphasis on managing these sourcing processes better.”

Responding to shocked customers, who criticised Woolworths for not testing their products,  the company said on Facebook that “the supplier has contravened our Animal Welfare Policy and as such will be held accountable to the stipulations in that policy.”

Woolworths said it will be adding “additional controls and testing to ensure this does not happen again.”

This incident is related to the three t-shirts in the photo above, of which 1 276 were sold collectively.

The pom-poms will be removed off the recalled t-shirts and destroyed, and the t-shirts will be sent back to Woolworths’ supplier to be donated to charity.

According to the BBC, customers in the UK are sometimes being duped by what they think is fake fur made from synthetic fibres… but which a charity found in laboratory tests was actually mink, fox and rabbit. The BBC said last year: “Most high street stores have fur-free policies, but adornments and trims from rabbits, dogs, raccoons, foxes and minks are appearing on clothes sold on market stalls, by smaller independent retailers and online.”

Customers who have purchased the Woolworths’ pom-pom products can return them to Woolworths’ stores for a full refund. For further info, contact 0860 022 002.