By Elizabeth Willoughby on
“According to PETA, 3,000 silkworms are killed to make every pound of silk," says actress Alicia Silverstone.
This is because the silkworms are gassed, steamed or boiled before they emerge from their cocoons as moths. Preventing the moths from cutting through the cocoons allows manufacturers to harvest long, single strands of silk.
Silverstone supports peace silk, the process by which the silkworm is allowed to live out its full life cycle.
“Peace silk is woven by hand by fair trade producers in India,” says Silverstone. “This cruelty-free silk is sourced from the cocoons of the wild Eri moth. The process does not involve touching or harming the moths, nor does it require keeping them in captivity. Rather, their cocoons are collected from the forest after the moths emerge and fly away.”
Copyright © 2014 Look to the Stars
