Hermes International Group
HESAY
Consumer Discretionary
2
exclusion reasons
1 theme
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. But it is subject to change as our understanding of the facts evolves.
PETA - Hermès International (US ADR); Active exotic skins use: crocodile (Porosus/Niloticus/Moreletii), American alligator, ostrich, lizard; planning Australia's largest crocodile factory farm (50,000 animals); PETA Divestment Shortlist
Hermès International Group derives a significant portion of its revenue from leather goods crafted from exotic animal skins, including ostrich, crocodile, and lizard. The company's core business model in its leather goods and saddlery division is intrinsically linked to the commercial exploitation of animals for their hides.
PETA has documented systemic cruelty at ostrich farms supplying Hermès, with 2016 video evidence showing suffering and abuse during the farming and killing process for their skins. At the company's 2025 annual meeting, PETA again directly challenged Hermès to cease using wild-animal skins, citing the torture and killing involved. While Hermès publishes an Animal Welfare Policy requiring compliance with laws and certification schemes, its continued reliance on exotic skins from wild animals sustains an industry where the extraction process is documented as gruesome.
Research Sources
2 organizations
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Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
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