The Donkey Sanctuary, a British charity, has hailed Swire Shipping as the first global shipping line to commit publicly to a no donkey skins carriage policy.
At least 5.9m donkeys are slaughtered for their skins every year. The collagen from their skin produces ejiao, a traditional Chinese medicine. China’s domestic donkey population has collapsed, so, the ejiao industry has shifted to a global trade network to source its donkey skin to continue meeting demand.
Marianne Steele, CEO of The Donkey Sanctuary, said: “The inhumane and unsustainable trade in donkey skins acts as a trojan horse for illegal wildlife trafficking and organised crime, and poses a serious threat to global biosecurity and the risk of zoonotic disease.”
Susana Germino, chief sustainability and energy transition officer at Swire Shipping, said: “This decision underscores our unwavering commitment to sustainability and ensures that our operations do not contribute to any trade that is illegal or threatens the survival of donkeys, whether wild or domesticated.”
