For years, Species Unite has been fighting to end the global ejiao trade and protect donkeys from being slaughtered for their skins. Every year, an estimated 5 million donkeys are killed to produce ejiao, a gelatin made from their hides that is used in traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese health and beauty products.

The growing demand for ejiao has fueled a devastating global trade that is decimating donkey populations and putting vulnerable communities at risk. In many parts of the Global South, donkeys are essential working animals, helping families transport goods to market, carry water, take children to school, and earn a living. As demand for their skins has increased, families have faced the theft and killing of the animals they depend on to survive.

Species Unite is part of an active national coalition of animal advocacy organizations working to end this brutal trade. Together, we are campaigning and lobbying for the Ejiao Act, federal legislation that would ban the sale of donkey skin gelatin in the United States, one of the world's largest importers of ejiao. Our coalition is also working directly with companies that profit from the sale of ejiao, including Amazon, and urging them to take responsibility for their role in supporting this devastating trade.

Now, we are turning our attention to Etsy.

Our coalition recently learned that Etsy has heard our concerns and is evaluating its platform policies regarding ejiao. This is a crucial opportunity to show the company that consumers do not want Etsy profiting from a product linked to the theft, trafficking, and slaughter of millions of donkeys.

Because donkey skins move through complex international supply chains, it can be impossible to know whether an individual ejiao product was sourced without contributing to the trafficking and exploitation of donkeys. Etsy should not allow its platform to be used to sell products connected to such a destructive trade.

Take Action Now

Please join Species Unite in calling on Etsy to prohibit the sale of ejiao and all products containing donkey skin gelatin. Send your letter to Etsy's Chief Legal Officer, Colin Stretch, and help show the company that it is time to stop profiting from this horrific global trade.