British monarchs have traditionally worn purple robes trimmed with fur from ermine—a member of the weasel family—during the solemn ceremony. In a letter addressed to Buckingham Palace, ECOPEL CEO Christopher Sarfati offers to provide his company’s biobased KOBA faux fur in place of any animal products. He also pointed out that Charles’ mother, the late and beloved Queen Elisabeth, swore off animal fur in her twilight years.
“Just as I followed in my father’s footsteps to become the CEO of ECOPEL, it has been brought to my attention that you may follow your late mother’s excellent example of shunning real fur and, in doing so, may opt for military attire rather than the traditional ermine-trimmed robe for your coronation,“ Sarfati says. “I would like to offer your majesty a solution that would give a nod to tradition while staying true to 21st century values. Allow ECOPEL the honor of working with your outfitters to trim the coronation robes with more sustainable and cruelty-free ‘ermine’ faux fur.”
KOBA is made from SORONA biobased fiber, which was developed by DuPont and is now owned by Covation Biomaterials. Charles has indicated he wants the May event—and the monarchy itself—to modernize and better reflect the values of the United Kingdom.