With Coldplay set to make a much-anticipated return to the country after nine long years, People for Ethical treatment of Animals (PETA) India, Mumbai, is calling on the band to go all green.
The band’s Music of the Spheres world tour is focused on sustainability, PETA is urging to serve only vegan meals and adopt leather-free clothing and footwear, and set an animal-friendly example.
In an open letter, PETA India Manager of Vegan Projects Dr Kiran Ahuja writes, “It’s heartening to see that your Music of the Spheres world tour is focused on sustainability and eco-friendliness. To that end, we have suggestions that we’re sure will strike the right chord: ensure that your concerts in India are vegan and that you set a leather-free example.”
The letter goes on to explain that cows are considered sacred by many in India and bovine leather is the most environmentally damaging material in fashion – its production has polluted India’s waterways with toxins. Animal agriculture (which includes leather production) is responsible for nearly one-fifth of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.
Each vegan can save up to 200 animals a year simply by not eating them, and University of Oxford researchers have found that eating vegan can reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73%.
Vegan dishes are a staple in Indian cuisine, and eco-friendly vegan clothing and footwear is widely available.
The letter also mentioned that India is already experiencing the effects of climate change, including severe heatwaves, a decline in monsoon rainfall, droughts, and other extreme and often deadly events. It is also one of the world’s most water-stressed nations. And so, serving only vegan meals and announcing that Coldplay will be wearing leather-free clothing and footwear at its shows is a no-brainer.