At Betty Gorilla, we start from an ethos of reducing commercial waste, reusing biodegradable materials, and recycling everything we can. Every product we sell includes materials that are secondary to market or waste items; nothing we sell is virgin material made or slaughtered for us. We ethically, sustainably, and legally salvage, gather, and harvest from nature in certain BG locales. We collect flora and fauna from healthy populations, typically of invasive or introduced species. We also upcycle existing products and specific natural materials, interrupting and reducing commercial product waste streams.

Usually leather is harvesting alongside natural death or death induced by another industry (ie, meat). So, yes, harvesting leather can hurt animals. Also, the modern manufacture of leather typically includes toxic chromium run-off, harming animals, plants, and us. We believe the current supply of leather that exists should be reused to reduce the demand for fresh materials. Properly cared for leather can last decades if not centuries. 

At Betty Gorilla we don't produce or buy new leather, we only upcycle existing material. We want to get the most out of the sacrifices that have already been made.

Much like leather, there is no way to harvest fur pelts without the death of the animal involved. Unlike leather, furs have historically been harvested from species with no other human utility. Wild beavers, mink, foxes and others were captured and killed for their fur, threatening their populations. Once the fur has been harvested, however, it can be a durable and beautiful product for years to come. 

At Betty Gorilla, we do not buy or produce new furs, we only upcycle existing materials. We want to get the most out of the sacrifices that have already been made.

Ivory is more complicated. Yes, ivory harvested from living animals, like elephants or rhinoceros, either kills or maims the animals involved. Ivory can also be harvested from dead animals, including long-dead mammoths, but this may present other ethical concerns. 

While there are some cases in which ivory can be sold legally, we at Betty Gorilla do not sell ivory of any kind. This is due to the difficulty in discerning different types of ivory, in addition to the difficulty of knowing when the material was produced; both are requirements for ethical/legal sales.

The short answer is no. More like hell no, actually. Among Betty Gorilla Original Products, those are products we make ourselves, we focus on introduced or invasive species. We also focus on ecologically-sustainable harvesting, using our own scientific backgrounds, expert partners, and local guides to ensure we are collecting in a sustainable way. Most of the species we include in our products are deemed of "least concern" according to the IUCN; so, the opposite of endangered, defined by the people who make the lists. 

Among our vintage products, unfortunately we are not able to 100% guarantee the exclusion of endangered or threatened species. However, we use our resources and expertise to describe the materials involved and will not sell any item knowingly obtained from protected environments or populations. That's a promise. 

Being sustainable in our business practices is one of our primary goals, so we aim to support the environment throughout our product lines. 

Seven states and counting! Alaska, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Oregon.

Interested in gathering or harvesting for Betty Gorilla? Have a species, raw material, or product in mind we should know about?

Write to us! Info@bettygorilla.com