After Tampering Claim, Company Stops Selling Mink Oil
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

From Animal Liberation Frontlilne
November 2013

This document also states: “The management at Emulon (sic) indicated that the volume of their mink oil business has been reduced substantially in recent years as a result of the animal rights movement.”

Mink oil is a byproduct of fur farm production. It is not believed any mink are farmed for their oil alone. Most mink oil in the US is used as a feed additive for (factory farmed) animals. Other uses are in cosmetics, and as a leather treatment (as in Kiwi brand mink oil).

After 263 jars of mink oil were tampered with, SC Johnson announces it will no longer use mink oil in its products.

In a communique last week, an anonymous group took credit for tampering 263 jars of Kiwi mink oil across the US, contaminating it with cyanic acid. The oil is typically used to treat leather garments, which cynaic acid destroys.
Almost immediately, the parent company of Kiwi, SC Johnson, instructed retailers to pull all Kiwi mink oil from the shelves. Soon after, SC Johnson announced it would no longer be selling mink oil.

And the US fur industry has suffered another huge blow from activists.

What is mink oil?

This action and subsequent victory has put a spotlight on this little-known-of revenue stream for fur farmers.

Mink oil is a byproduct of fur farm production. It is not believed any mink are farmed for their oil alone.

Most mink oil in the US is used as a feed additive for (factory farmed) animals. Other uses are in cosmetics, and as a leather treatment (as in Kiwi brand mink oil).

A 1994 document published by Utah State University stated that “the Emulon (sic) Company, located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is possibly the nation’s largest processor of mink oil.” This company is the possible vendor of mink oil to Kiwi, who is also based in Wisconsin.

This document also states: “The management at Emulon (sic) indicated that the volume of their mink oil business has been reduced substantially in recent years as a result of the animal rights movement.”

If Emulan is the vendor to Kiwi, they are likely to be Emulan’s biggest customer. If so, this tampering claim and subsequent announcement by SC Johnson could very well cripple the country’s largest mink oil vendor.
Another huge blow for the fur industry

The Kiwi products with mink oil will no longer be sold and will be replaced with the reformulated versions down the road, an SC Johnson spokesperson said.

With such small profit margins, the elimination of mink oil as a revenue stream could bring many fur farms even closer to collapse.

Return to Animal Rights Articles