PETA urge Led Zeppelin frontman to change his name to ‘Robert Plant Wool’

PETA have reached out to Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, and urged him to temporarily change his name to ‘Robert Plant Wool’.

• READ MORE: Becoming Led Zeppelin review: the definitive origin story for Britain’s most explosive band

The push comes in time for November, which is being categorised as Plant Wool Month, and raises more awareness for plant alternatives to sheep’s wool.

In a letter to the iconic rock singer, PETA notes that the short-term name change would make more people aware of plant-powered yarns, including those made from hemp, cotton, orange waste, and more. It also would help the push to have people turn away from animal wool and cashmere industries, which it criticises as environmentally-destructive and sometimes abusive.

“Plant Wool Month celebrates animal-free and plastic-free yarns that promote sustainable fashion while lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting the animals with whom we share this precious planet,” said PETA Vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen.

“PETA is asking Robert Plant to sing the praises of plant wool with a temporary name change that reminds everyone that nothing compares to soft, natural, and eco-friendly plant wool.”

In its reasons to avoid animal wool, PETA highlights ethical reasons including lambs facing routine mutilation – such as having their tails and testicles removed – and in terms of the environment, it shares how sheep produce large amounts of methane, a planet-warming greenhouse gas.

The latter, it shares, along with the industry’s energy use, the land clearing undertaken to house sheep, the animals’ waste, and the use of chemicals to clean their shorn hair, “has led the Made-By Environmental Benchmark for Fibres to rank sheep’s wool as a “Class E” material – the worst possible category”.

PETA also shares that Plant Wool month will generate more recognition for “hard-working crop farmers, innovative textile makers, and pioneering designers who grow, spin, and work with these beautiful yarns to create knitwear, suits, and more”.

Robert Plant has not yet responded publicly to the letter from PETA. Visit here for more information about Plant Wool Month.

In other Robert Plant news, the former Led Zeppelin singer announced details of a new album called ‘Saving Grace’ this summer, which sees him team up with a new band of distinguished players.

He is currently out on his US tour to celebrate the album – which was released last month – and will wrap up the tour tomorrow night (Wednesday October 22) with a show at the United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles.

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