Giant silkworm moths of the family Saturniidae are sometimes used in alternative silk production. Understanding welfare impacts across the silk industry helps consumers make more informed choices.
Standard silk production boils cocoons while the pupa is alive inside to prevent the emerging moth from breaking silk threads. Whether silkworm pupae are sentient is unresolved, but the scale of killing — billions of animals — makes this one of the most numerically significant welfare issues in consumer goods. Peace silk avoids live boiling but has lower thread quality. Reducing overall silk demand is the most direct welfare intervention.