NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY

Analysis of Animal Cruelty and Consumer Behavior towards

Leather Products

Submitted to:

Dr. Sheetal Soni

Assistant professor

Submitted by:

Aakriti Rao

Khushboo Soni

Mudita Jain

Department of Fashion Management Studies (FMS)

MASTERS OF FASHION MANAGEMENT (MFM)
 Abstract
This report deeply examines animal cruelty in India and the consumer behavior towards leather
products in the population of Delhi-NCR. Although the Delhi-NCR population presents some
eccentricity, we surmise that our results could probably be generalized to similarly aged
population groups. Leather products including footwear, apparels and accessories, a sub-sector of
the fashion industry has been outgrowing all others in the last few years. Leather is seen as non-
ethical, requiring the killing of animals, and non-ecological, since the production process is
polluting. Those two opposing forces make the future of leather very uncertain. Surprisingly,
very little literature has been written on the subject. In this report, leather industry of India is
deeply analyzed. Our findings reflect the determinants to the consumption of leather products
and the awareness of consumers. Although not as influenced as fur by ethical and ecological
concerns, leather products do project similar reactions. This report concludes on
 Acknowledgement
We take this opportunity to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to our
research supervisor Dr. Sheetal Soni, Associate Professor, Department of Fashion
Management Studies (FMS), National Institute of Fashion Technology, Jodhpur,
for her constant guidance and regular interaction throughout our research work.

Thanks to our friends, research scholars, other teaching faculty and non-teaching
staff members of NIFT, Jodhpur for their help during the research work.

We owe our utmost gratitude to our family members for their encouragement and
support throughout the research.

Aakriti Rao

Khushboo Soni

Mudita Jain
 Table of Content
I Introduction

1. Background
2. Problem and Focus
3. Purpose

II Theoretical Framework

1. Animal Cruelty
2. Animal Welfare and Rights
3. Illegal Trade of leather
4. PETA on Global Leather Trade
4.1 Chinese Torture
4.2 Slaughtering in India
5. Indian Leather Industry Analysis
5.1 Current Scenario of Leather Industry
5.2 Future Growth
6. Domestic Consumption
7. Consumer Behavior

III Research Methodology

1. Objective of the Study

2. Research Design
3. Sampling Plan
4. Data Collection Method/Tools

IV Data Analysis

1. Interpretation and Analysis

V Findings & Conclusion

VI Recommendations

VII Limitations

VIII References
 List of Figures
a) Figure 1 Laws on Animal Welfare in Indian Constitution
b) Figure 2 States showing status of slaughter ban in India
c) Figure 3 India’s Position in Leather Exports
d) Figure 4 Leather Production Centers in India; Source: Invest India Org.
e) Figure 5 Growth of Exports in INIDA in leather
 Analysis of Animal Cruelty and Consumer Behavior towards
Leather Products

I Introduction

1. Background

The fashion industry is one of the largest in the world and it is at the same time a reflection of
society and an agent of socialization capable of influencing public opinion and standards. Every
year, millions of animals are killed for the clothing industry—all in the name of fashion.
Whether the clothes come from Chinese fur farms, Indian slaughterhouses, or the Australian
outback, an immeasurable amount of suffering goes into every fur-trimmed jacket, leather belt,
and wool sweater.[CITATION FER16 \l 1033 ] Humans have been using animal skins and furs in clothing
for centuries. With a growing demand for fur and leather over the past century, apparel produced from
animals has gone from being functional to being fashionable. Therefore animal skins continue to be an
important material for apparel and accessories. [ CITATION Ela08 \l 16393 ]

The leather market has benefitted from innovations in tanning and dyeing processes that allowed for
improved characteristics of material, new finishes, textures and properties [ CITATION Ela08 \l 1033 ]. The
material that was once stiff and bulky is now more pliable and comes in diverse colors, resulting in more
opportunities for use in fashion goods. Using fur, big name designers such as Christian Dior, and Carl
Lagerfeld create garment to booze the level of fashion excitement.[ CITATION Pet09 \l 16393 ]

Mass production of fur and leather items has created a harsh system of fur farming, trapping, and skinning
which has sparked uproar among animal rights activists. Animal rights activists argue that using animals to
fulfil human needs and desires is not acceptable and should be avoided. This attitude is based on the
assumption that animals have their rights, and humans have moral obligations to animals [ CITATION Pet09 \l
1033 ]. The animal rights advocates have initiated an extensive campaign aimed at reducing cruelty toward
animals and, eventually, at eliminating all avenues of using animals [ CITATION Ols94 \l 1033 ]. For example
in 2002, British fashion designer Stella McCartney teamed up with PETA (People for The Ethical Treatment
of Animals)and launched an anti-leather campaign by promoting a video clip in order to increase awareness
of cruelty associated with leather production and consumption. In the clip, the designer says, “as a designer, I
like to work with fabrics that don’t bleed .that’s why I avoid all animal skins” (peta2012, 2:26). Animal
materials are vastly used inside the industry, but the process behind this use and its implications
are rarely discussed. Ethics, sustainability, animal well-being are now gaining presence in our
society, which is slowly influencing the fashion industry. They have no voice, they can’t
complain, ask, or tell you they are hurt, hungry or cold. With every pair of leather shoes that you
buy, you sentence an animal to a lifetime of suffering[ CITATION Peo15 \l 1033 ].

2. Problem and Focus

Significant research will be done on Animal cruelty, thus, it will be focused on Animal cruelty in
India, Illegal Trade of Leather in India in connection to the fashion industry and the consumer
behavior towards leather products.

In today’s day and age, owning designer items is a luxury. Almost every fashion blogger or
celebrity on social media can be seen wearing designer garments or clothing. But this is not
limited to just influencers. Countless people all over the world splurge on these luxury pieces.
What they fail to realize, however, is where those pieces came from. In the fashion industry,
there are quite a lot of different types of animal derived fabrics that are used: fur, leather, silk,
cashmere, wool, shearling, angora, the list goes on and on. Fur is one of these controversial
fabrics that is quite often talked about in the industry. Fur is considered unethical and inhumane
by most people. But the same people often forget that, just like fur, leather also comes from the
skin of animals. Most people have misconceptions about the leather industry and what goes on
behind the scenes. One of the biggest reasons people support buying leather goods is because of
the mentality that “the animal is going to be killed for meat anyway, so why waste its hide?”
This claim is far from the truth. The reality is this: leather is not simply a “byproduct” of the
meat industry [ CITATION Khu191 \l 16393 ] .This research serves to highlight India’s particular
paradox. Each year some 34m bovines (including buffalo) are slaughtered, which makes it one of
the engines of the global leather trade, attracting millions of dollars. But at the same time in 24 of
29 states cattle slaughter is illegal, as framed by the constitution. So how can a state such as
Rajasthan, which has the only government cow department to look after freely roaming sacred
cows, and one of the biggest gaushalas (shelters for stray cattle), also be home to hundreds of
tanneries? [ CITATION Luc16 \l 16393 ]

3. Purpose
Fashion consumers are becoming more conscious of the environment. They prefer eco-friendly
material, conservative use of resources, reduced emission of pollutants, greater social
commitment and fair treatment of employees in production facilities [ CITATION Sat16 \l 16393 ].
The purpose of this research is to study the animal cruelty in fashion industry specific to leather
products and analyze the consumer behavior towards leather products and to examine the effect
of awareness on illegal slaughtering in consumer behavior.

II Theoretical Framework
1. Animal Cruelty

Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by
omission (animal neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or harm upon any non-
human. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suffering for specific achievement, such
as killing animals for food, for their fur or even their tusks; opinions differ about the extent of
cruelty associated with a given method of slaughter. Cruelty to animals sometimes encompasses
inflicting harm or suffering as an end in itself, defined as zoosadism. With approximately 65
billion animals killed annually for food, farm animals are the most numerous animals subjected
to cruelty [ CITATION And18 \l 16393 ].

Animal cruelty is often broken down into two main categories: active and passive, also referred
to as commission and omission, respectively.

Active Cruelty (Acts of Commission)

Implies malicious intent, where a person has deliberately and intentionally caused harm to an
animal, and is sometimes referred to as NAI (Non-Accidental Injury). Acts of intentional cruelty
are often some of the most disturbing and should be considered signs of serious psychological
problems. This type of behavior is often associated with sociopathic behavior and should be
taken very seriously.[CITATION Wil16 \l 16393 ]

Passive Cruelty (Acts of Omission)

Passive cruelty is typified by cases of neglect, where the crime is a lack of action rather than the
action itself — however do not let the terminology fool you. Severe animal neglect can cause
incredible pain and suffering to an animal.

Examples of neglect are starvation, dehydration, parasite infestations, allowing a collar to grow
into an animal’s skin, inadequate shelter in extreme weather conditions, and failure to seek
veterinary care when an animal needs medical attention.[ CITATION Wil16 \l 16393 ]

2. Animal Welfare and Rights

Some animal protection objectives were included in the Indian constitution from its adoption in
1950. In particular, Article 48, which dealt with agriculture, included a prohibition on the
slaughter of cows, calves and other milk and draught animals. In 1974, further provisions were
introduced including Article 51A, which made it a duty of every citizen of India "(g) to protect
and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife, and to have
compassion for living creatures" [CITATION Ani14 \l 16393 ]
 Figure 1 Laws on Animal Welfare in Indian Constitution

3. Illegal trade of leather

Despite stringent laws in place, to protect the rights of animals, illegal slaughterhouses remain
unmonitored and unregulated. India is the world’s largest exporter of leather. And whilst the
killing of cows is banned in all but two states, in the world of the illegal leather trade, animal
rights abuses are rife as the country cashes in on its most sacred symbol to meet the Western
desire for leather. ‘According to many local council laws, slaughterhouses need to be licensed,
but many of the slaughterhouses don’t have licenses.’ says Nilesh Bhanage, head of the Plants
and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS). A source from one of India’s leading exporters of leather
handbags to Britain, who asked to remain anonymous, revealed that illegal leather is commonly
used. ‘It is often cheaper that way. It is not a transparent industry. There is a lot that goes on
behind the scenes to cut costs and make ends meet. Animal rights are greatly compromised.’ One
leading leather technologist has estimated that as much as 75 per cent of all Indian leather could
come from illegal sources [ CITATION Amb10 \l 16393 ]

‘Traders bribe officials to look the other way as they pack the cows into vehicles in such high
numbers that their bones break, they suffocate and many die enroute to slaughter, the treatment
of animals in both licensed and unlicensed slaughterhouses are the same’ explains Poorva
Joshipura, director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Europe. The
inhumane treatment of India’s once sacred cows will continue as long as there is a demand for
leather. As animal welfare legislation has been enforced in the West, cruel and destructive
practices have been exported to the developing world. The answer, for Maneka Gandhi, former
Minister for Animal Welfare and one of India’s leading animal rights activists, ‘Don’t buy
leather, the best thing you can do to help these animals is to stop wearing them’(Hiranandani,
2010).
Figure 2 States showing status of slaughter ban in India

4. PETA on Global Leather Trade

Every year, the global leather industry slaughters more than a billion animals. Most of the leather
in the U.S. and Europe comes from India, China, and other countries that either have no animal
welfare laws or have laws that go largely or completely unenforced.

Years after a PETA investigation into the Indian leather industry prompted the Indian
government to promise to make improvements in the transport and slaughter conditions endured
by cows and other animals killed for their skin, PETA investigators have found virtually no
improvements. The animals are still grotesquely abused in ways that violate Indian law and
shock the consciences of all kind people [ CITATION The16 \l 16393 ]
4.1) Chinese Torture

If you’re wearing leather, it most likely came from China, the world’s top leather exporter. In
addition to the cattle, sheep, and other animals who are killed for leather in that country each
year, an estimated 2 million cats and dogs are killed their annually for their skins.

Confined to wire cages in which they can barely move, these animals are skinned—sometimes
while still alive—and hacked apart, piece by piece, until they bleed to death. Many items made
from the skins of dogs and cats are bought unknowingly by consumers, because they’re often
intentionally mislabeled and don’t accurately indicate their origins [ CITATION The16 \l 16393 ].

4.2) Slaughtering in India

As India’s own animal protection laws are blatantly ignored, unsanitary slaughterhouses continue
to pollute the environment; unlicensed, illegal slaughterhouses remain in operation; and the
widespread abuse of animals persists.

In direct violation of the Constitution of India, cows (whom many Indians consider sacred) are
marched and driven to slaughter for days without food or water. Those who collapse from
exhaustion while walking have their eyes smeared with chili peppers and tobacco and their tails
broken in an effort to keep them moving.

Commercial vehicles crossing Indian state lines are required to pay taxes, so animals are often
transported by truck within the state and walked across the border, where they are loaded back
into severely crowded trucks. Indian law requires that not more than six cattle be transported in a
truck at one time, but this law is routinely ignored. However, to avoid any problems at state
borders, some cows are dragged off the trucks, marched over the border, and then loaded back
into the trucks. Many cows are trampled or gored in these extremely crowded, illegal transport
trucks during the long journey to slaughter.

Because India’s animal transport and slaughter laws are not enforced, many of the animals used
for leather are so sick and injured by the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse that they must be
dragged inside. Once inside, their throats are cut—often with dirty, blunt knives and in full view
of one another—on floors that are covered with feces, blood, guts, and urine. Some animals are
even skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious [ CITATION The16 \l 16393 ].
5) Indian Leather Industry Analysis

Over the years the Indian leather industry has undergone drastic change from being a mere
exporter of raw materials in the early 60s and 70s, to an exporter of finished, value added leather
products. India’s leather industry is bestowed with skilled manpower, innovative technology,
increasing industry compliance to international environmental standards and the support of allied
industries Leather exports from India comprise of raw-hide skins, finished leather, leather goods,
leather garments, leather footwear component, saddlery and harness. India is the second largest
exporter of leather garments and third largest exporter of saddlery and harness in the world India,
the leather is prepared from the raw-hide skin of different animals like buffalo, goat, cow and
sheep. Majorly, buffalo skin and goat skin are used to make leather products that are exported to
the other countries [CITATION Ind181 \l 1033 ]

It accounts for around 12.9% of the world’s leather production of hides/skins and handles a
robust annual production of about 3 bn sq. ft. of leather. The country accounts for 9% of the
world’s footwear production. The industry is known for its consistency in high export earnings
and it is among the top ten foreign exchange earners for the country.

India has an abundance of raw materials with access to 20% of world’s cattle and buffalo and
11% of the world’s goat and sheep population. [CITATION Nat19 \l 16393 ]

Figure 3 India's Leather Exports Position; Source: Invest India Org.

Figure 4 Leather Production Centers in India; Source: Invest India Org.

5.1 Current Scenario of Leather Industry

 The Leather industry in India stands at $17.85 Bn (Exports – $5.85 Bn, Domestic Market –
$12 Bn).
 The exports from April-Jan 2018-19 are recorded as $4750.62 Mn. Export of different
categories of Footwear (leather & non-leather and components) holds a major share of about
50.34%.
 The Leather industry in India is an employment-focused industry, providing jobs to about
4.42 Mn people.
 India is the 2nd largest producer of footwear, 2nd largest exporter of Leather Garments, the
5th largest exporter of Leather Goods and 3rd Largest Exporter of Saddlery and Harness
items [CITATION Lea19 \l 16393 ]

5.2 Future Growth

 Exports are projected to reach $9.0 Bn by 2020, from the present level of $5.85 Bn.
 India has trade agreements with Japan, Korea, ASEAN, Chile etc., and is negotiating Free
Trade Agreement with the European Union, Australia etc.
 The domestic market is expected to reach $18 Bn by 2020.
Figure 5 Growth of Exports in INIDA in leather

6) Domestic Consumption

“Over 90% of our leather footwear output is consumed in the domestic market. During FY19,
nearly 2.4 billion pairs of shoes of domestic and international brands were sold in the country
and thus, we have become the second largest consumer of shoes after China due to the huge
domestic opportunity. USA is in the third position,” he said.

The Council for Leather Exports (CLE) has set an ambitious target to achieve exports of $10
billion by 2024-25 from the present $5.73 billion [ CITATION NAn19 \l 16393 ]

7) Consumer Behavior
Consumer behavior entails "all activities associated with the purchase, use and disposal of goods
and services, including the consumer's emotional, mental and behavioral responses that precede
or follow these activities"[ CITATION Fra11 \l 16393 ]

A number of theorists have argued that certain fundamental decision-making styles can be
identified [ CITATION Dur93 \l 1033 ]. A decision-making style is defined as a "mental orientation
characterizing a consumer's approach to making choices." [ CITATION GBS83 \l 1033 ]

Sproles and Kendall (1986) developed a consumer style inventory (CSI) consisting of eight
factors, such as price-sensitivity, quality-consciousness, brand-consciousness, novelty-seeking,
fashion-consciousness and habit. Based on these factors, the authors developed a typology of
eight distinct decision-making styles:

 Quality conscious/Perfectionist: Quality-consciousness is characterized by a consumer's

search for the very best quality in products; quality conscious consumers tend to shop
systematically making more comparisons and shopping around to compare quality and
value.
 Brand-conscious: Brand-consciousness is characterized by a tendency to buy expensive,
well-known brands or designer labels. Those who score high on brand-consciousness
tend to believe that the higher prices are an indicator of quality and exhibit a preference
for department stores or top-tier retail outlets.
 Recreation-conscious/ Hedonistic: Recreational shopping is characterized by the
consumer's engagement in the purchase process. Those who score high on recreation-
consciousness regard shopping itself as a form of enjoyment.
 Price-conscious: A consumer who exhibits price-and-value consciousness. Price-
conscious shoppers carefully shop around seeking lower prices, sales or discounts and are
motivated by obtaining the best value for money
 Novelty/fashion-conscious: characterized by a consumer's tendency to seek out new
products or new experiences for the sake of excitement; who gain excitement from
seeking new things; they like to keep up-to-date with fashions and trends, variety-seeking
is associated with this dimension.
  Impulsive: Impulsive consumers are somewhat careless in making purchase decisions,
buy on the spur of the moment and are not overly concerned with expenditure levels or
obtaining value. Those who score high on impulsive dimensions tend not to be engaged
with the object at either a cognitive or emotional level.
 Confused (by over-choice): characterized by a consumer's confusion caused by too
many product choices, too many stores or an overload of product information; tend to
experience information overload.
 Habitual / brand loyal: characterized by a consumer's tendency to follow a routine
purchase pattern on each purchase occasion; consumers have favorite brands or stores
and have formed habits in choosing, the purchase decision does not involve much
evaluation or shopping around [CITATION GBS86 \l 1033 ]

Sample Size Determination-

Appropriate sample size is required to prove the validity of this study. If the sample size is too
small, it will not yield valid results. On the other hand, if the Sample size is too large it will
result in wasting money and time. It is also unethical to choose too large a sample size.
Therefore, to calculate appropriate sample size for the study Cochran’s sample size formula is
used. It allows us to calculate an ideal sample size given a desired level of precision, desired
confidence level, and the estimated proportion of the attribute present in the population. It is
considered especially appropriate in situations with large populations. As this study includes
respondents from all over of Jodhpur, Cochran’s formula will be the ideal choice.
The Cochran formula is:
 Where:
• e is the desired level of precision (i.e. the margin of error),
• p is the (estimated) proportion of the population which has the attribute in question,
• q is 1 – p.
The z value is found in a Z table
As we are doing the study to find out how many people are influenced by the bloggers in
context to purchase of an apparel, we are going to assume that half of the population are
influenced, this gives us maximum variability. So p = 0.5 and we have 95% confidence,
and at least 5 percent—plus or minus—precision. A 95 % confidence level gives us Z
values of 1.96, per the normal tables, so we get
((1.96)2 (0.5) (0.5)) / (0.05)2 = 385 (determined sample size).

Sample Area – This research will be restricted to respondents of Delhi-NCR.

1. Data Collection Method/ Tools

The sources of data in the report are:-
a) Primary Data – Primary Data is original data that are collected for the particle research
at hand, which is more consistent with the research question [ CITATION PGh05 \l 16393 ].
In this research for obtaining the primary data we have adopted survey method and for
the collection of information we have used a structured questionnaire. A questionnaire
consists of a set of questions presented to respondents.

b) Secondary Data – Secondary data are collected by others for purposes. In most research,
it’s needed to start to start with a literature review which is the earlier studies related to
the research topic. Journal articles, books, online data sources such as official websites.
Secondary data of the report is collected from Internet and College Library. Internet can
provide researchers with a new research environment and has been a convenient and
efficient way to get more useful information [ CITATION CEl01 \l 16393 ].

Questionnaire Design
 Questionnaire that are completed by respondents themselves are one of the main tools to
collect data. This kind of questionnaire named self-completion questionnaire which is
often used in business research [ CITATION ABr07 \l 16393 ]
The questionnaire will consist of close-ended questions on consumer behavior towards
leather products and the awareness of consumer on animal cruelty.
The questionnaire will be circulated through E-mails and Social Networking Sites to the
respondents for quick response.

IV Data Analysis
1.1 A
H0 – There is no influence of gender on purchasing of leather product.

H1 – There is influence of gender on purchasing leather product.

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2- Exact Sig. (2- Exact Sig. (1-
sided) sided) sided)
a
Pearson Chi-Square 8.770 1 .003
Continuity Correctionb 7.629 1 .006

Likelihood Ratio 8.987 1 .003

Fisher's Exact Test .005 .003

Linear-by-Linear Association 8.712 1 .003
N of Valid Cases 150

a.0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 15.57.

P value = 0.003

As P value is lower than 0.05, we can say that there is influence of gender on purchasing of
leather product.H1 is accepted.

Symmetric Measures

Value Approx. Sig.

Phi -.242 .003

Nominal by Nominal
Cramer's V .242 .003
N of Valid Cases 150
Interpretations:

In this chart we can see that, 50% of females and 68% of male population have purchase leather
products whereas, 23% of female and 9% of male population haven’t purchase the leather
products.

1.2 B
Case Processing Summary

Cases

Valid Missing Total

N Percent N Percent N Percent

Gender_of_respondent * 150 100.0% 0 0.0% 150 100.0%

Leather_preference_by_repondent
 Gender_of_respondent * Leather_preference_by_repondent Crosstabulation

Leather_preference_by_repondent Total

Real Faux I don’t mind either

Count 17 25 31 73

23.3% 34.2% 42.5% 100.0

% within Gender_of_respondent
%
Female % within 30.4% 67.6% 54.4% 48.7
Leather_preference_by_repondent %

11.3% 16.7% 20.7% 48.7

% of Total
Gender_of_resp %
ondent Count 39 12 26 77

50.6% 15.6% 33.8% 100.0

% within Gender_of_respondent
%
Male % within 69.6% 32.4% 45.6% 51.3
Leather_preference_by_repondent %

26.0% 8.0% 17.3% 51.3

% of Total
%
Count 56 37 57 150

37.3% 24.7% 38.0% 100.0

% within Gender_of_respondent
%
Total % within 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0
Leather_preference_by_repondent %

37.3% 24.7% 38.0% 100.0

% of Total
%

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

a
Pearson Chi-Square 13.552 2 .001
Likelihood Ratio 13.879 2 .001
Linear-by-Linear Association 6.426 1 .011
N of Valid Cases 150

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 18.01.

H0- There is no influence of gender on preferring real or faux(artificial) leather.

H1- There is influence of gender on preferring real or faux leather.

P value = 0.001
As P value is lower than 0.05, we can say that there is influence of gender on preferring real or
faux(artificial)leather. H1 is accepted.

Symmetric Measures

Value Approx. Sig.

Phi .301 .001

Nominal by Nominal
Cramer's V .301 .001

N of Valid Cases 150

Interpretation:

In this chart we can see that, 17% of female and 39% of male prefer buying the real leather
whereas 25% of female and 12% of male would like to prefer faux leather. The rest of 31%
female and 26% male don’t mind either.

1.3 C
Case Processing Summary

Cases

Valid Missing Total

N Percent N Percent N Percent

Awareness_of_illegal_slaughtering_by_respondent * 150 100.0% 0 0.0% 150 100.0%

Purchased_leather_product_by_respondent

Awareness_of_illegal_slaughtering_by_respondent * Purchased_leather_product_by_respondent
Crosstabulation

Purchased_leat Total
her_product_by
_respondent

Yes No

Awareness_of_illega Yes Count 91 25 116

l_slaughtering_by_re % within 78.4% 21.6% 100.0%
spondent Awareness_of_illegal_slaughtering_by_respondent

% within Purchased_leather_product_by_respondent 77.1% 78.1% 77.3%

% of Total 60.7% 16.7% 77.3%

 Count 18 7 25

% within 72.0% 28.0% 100.0%

No Awareness_of_illegal_slaughtering_by_respondent

% within Purchased_leather_product_by_respondent 15.3% 21.9% 16.7%

% of Total 12.0% 4.7% 16.7%

Count 9 0 9

% within 100.0 0.0% 100.0%

Mayb
Awareness_of_illegal_slaughtering_by_respondent %
e
% within Purchased_leather_product_by_respondent 7.6% 0.0% 6.0%

% of Total 6.0% 0.0% 6.0%

Count 118 32 150

% within 78.7% 21.3% 100.0%

Awareness_of_illegal_slaughtering_by_respondent
Total
100.0 100.0 100.0%
% within Purchased_leather_product_by_respondent
% %

% of Total 78.7% 21.3% 100.0%

H0- There is no awareness of illegal slaughtering of animal on purchasing of leather product.

H1-There is awareness of illegal slaughtering of animal on purchasing of leather product.

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

a
Pearson Chi-Square 3.106 2 .212
Likelihood Ratio 4.942 2 .085
Linear-by-Linear Association .574 1 .449
N of Valid Cases 150

a. 1 cells (16.7%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1.92.

P value = 0.212
As P value is more than 0.05, we can say that there is awareness of illegal slaughtering of animal
on purchasing of leather product.H0 is accepted.

Symmetric Measures

Value Approx. Sig.

 Phi .144 .212
Nominal by Nominal
Cramer's V .144 .212
N of Valid Cases 150

Interpretation:

In this chart we can say that those people who are aware of illegal slaughtering even though 91%
of people willing to purchase leather products and 25% of people aren’t purchasing leather
products. Whereas those people who aren’t aware of illegal slaughtering in which 18% of people
purchase leather products and rest 7% aren’t purchasing and rest 9% of people are unknown
from illegal slaughtering but purchasing the leather product.
V Findings

Through empirical and theoretical framework, we found that;

1. By analyzing animal cruelty in India, we found out that proper laws and regulations are
present in the Indian Constitution which are not enforced and regulated by the authorities.
2. By examining various State Laws on slaughtering (Appendix), except 8 states, slaughter is
banned or restricted on certain conditions in all the other states. Inspite of the ban leather
production centers are still functioning in these states.
3. Through PETA investigation report, we found that the conditions of slaughterhouses and the
workers in slaughterhouses is horrific and there is no improvement in proper implementation
of laws inspite of the investigation report being published in 2016.
4. Even though India is second largest exporter in leather products, the domestic consumption
also gave us shocking revelation which is $12 bn out of total $17.85 bn production.
5. Through hypothesis testing we found that there is influence of gender on purchasing of
leather product and males are purchasing more leather products than females
6. Through hypothesis testing we found that there is influence of gender on preferring real and
faux leather and male prefer more real leather than faux and 31% females and 26% males do
not mind purchasing either of them. This result shows that other alternatives for leather or
artificial leather can also be used by brands.
7. Through hypothesis testing we found that there is awareness of illegal slaughtering of animal
on purchasing of leather products and 60 % people are purchasing even after being aware of
illegal slaughtering and only 16% are avoiding leather products after awareness.
8. We have found that 46% of Delhi - NCR population are liking the material of leather
products and 39% of population are admiring the craftmanship in leather products that’s why
they are willing to purchase the leather products.
9. We have found that people mostly prefer buying leather products from branded store instead
of local markets and other places.
10. We have found that people are against towards animal cruelty and responded
that “it’s cruel and wrong”, “it should stop immediately”. However there purchasing habits
were contradictory.

VI Recommendations

1. Although, the samples used for this research were restrictive; for a better understanding it
is suggested a further research with varied samples, which may have different results or
deeper studies.
2. Regardless of prior studies done about consumer behavior towards leather products, there
is a lack of concentration of the effect about the choice of the consumer buying on
particular leather product and brand. It is recommended a deeper study in future to cover
this gap in a survey, thus adding knowledge for the searches.

VII Limitations

1. As there was a limited time we couldn’t attain the determined sample size of 385 through
Cochran Formula for our survey but lastly we only attained 150 responses.
2. The questionnaire developed to understand the consumer behavior in practice was sent
only in Delhi-NCR, thereby presenting a restriction of area and limitation of the results.
3. The questionnaire had questions on animal cruelty and cruelty free products, about which
the respondents had little knowledge.
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IX Appendix