The production of silk requires the boiling of silkworms alive inside their cocoons, raising emerging questions about invertebrate welfare in the textile industry.
While the sentience of silkworms remains uncertain, the precautionary principle suggests minimising harm in mass-scale killing. Ahimsa silk, produced from open cocoons after the moth has emerged, exists as an alternative but is costly. The scale of silkworm killing — billions annually — warrants serious moral consideration even at relatively low probability of sentience.