“Isn’t this what you use when exercising?”… China uses shuttlecocks as ‘padding filling’

Controversy over ‘fake padding’ recycled from shuttlecocks in China
“Pulverized chicken or pig hair is also used.”
“‘Fake down jackets’ may cause allergies”

There is controversy after revelations about a ‘fake down jacket’ made from recycled badminton shuttlecocks in China.

On the 17th, local Chinese media outlet Dahebao reported that down jacket companies had been caught purchasing used shuttlecocks for filling in large quantities. It was revealed that these companies separate only the feather part from the shuttlecock and then crush it to use silk yarn, which is made into thread, as a filling material.

This is not the first time the ‘shuttlecock down jacket’ has been controversial. Previously, China Central Television (CCTV) sparked controversy at the end of last month by revealing that ultra-low-price down jacket products used secret yarn as a filling material. Local Chinese media began in-depth reporting to find the source of the secret, and discovered that the industry’s secret was ‘shuttlecock’. It was discovered that people in related industries, such as those in charge of cleaning badminton stadiums across the country, and badminton enthusiasts were collecting used shuttlecocks and selling them to these companies for cash. An official from one company said, “The fiber made by crushing shuttlecock feathers is thin and tough,” and “It has good resilience when used as padding filler or pillow material.”

This phenomenon appears to be related to the recent increase in the price of duck and goose feathers by more than 1.5 times every year. Some companies, feeling burdened by the price of filling materials made of duck or goose down, are recycling shuttlecocks. Another business owner confessed, “Shuttlecock recycling has already been done for several years, and this is closer to being conscientious.” This official added, “I have seen chicken or pig hair being pulverized and used,” adding, “It even goes through an additional bleaching process.”

The photo has nothing to do with the specific expression in the article. Pixabay.

Fake down jackets are disguised as filled with duck down or goose down and are distributed at low prices on e-commerce platforms. Experts pointed out that the ‘shuttlecock jacket’, which appears to be eco-friendly at first glance, is significantly different from a real down jacket in terms of warmth and lightness, and that dust generated during the manufacturing process can stick to the fiber and cause allergies. . In particular, experts added that caution is needed when purchasing children’s down jackets distributed online at extremely low prices.

In addition, a children’s clothing company in a clothing complex in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, China, recently attracted controversy for selling fake duck down padding while introducing it as ‘duck down padding.’ The company used fur scraps from the manufacturing process, not duck down. In other words, they were caught using trash as filler. All certificates showing that it had passed the filling material inspection standards were fake. In the end, the authorities arrested three executives of the company that made the fake duck down padding and confiscated 70,000 pieces of fake padding, worth about 7 million yuan (about 1.39 billion won).

Meanwhile, in China, as geese and duck farmers moved to raising pigs, there was a shortage of feathers to make shuttlecocks, and shuttlecock prices soared by more than 20% last July.

Reporter Heo Mi-dam [email protected]