Since the 1980s, growing public awareness of the welfare and environmental costs of fur farming has built momentum against the industry. That momentum accelerated sharply in the twelve months before Etsy's announcement. In May 2025, Chinese e-commerce giant Shein banned fur and exotic skins across its marketplace. Australian Fashion Week removed wildlife-derived materials from its runway shows. In December 2025, Poland enacted a national fur farming ban; the Council of Fashion Designers of America prohibited fur at New York Fashion Week; Hearst Magazines committed to no longer promoting animal fur; and US designer Rick Owens announced he would remove fur from all future collections.
Against this backdrop, CAFT launched its campaign targeting Etsy in early 2026. Over 58 days, the group organised more than 50 protests across 17 cities, targeting Etsy offices, stores, and affiliated events. The campaign's most dramatic moment came on 3 March 2026, when activists disrupted Etsy's live presentation at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in San Francisco — confronting Etsy's CEO Kruti Patel Goyal and CFO Lanny Baker on stage in front of investors and analysts.
Etsy updated its Animal Products Policy on 2 April 2026. The ban also prohibits products made from endangered or threatened species. Fur sellers on the platform have already been notified their listings will be removed. Suzie Stork, Executive Director of CAFT, called the decision a new standard for online retailers. PETA separately reported that over 100,000 messages from supporters had contributed to the outcome.