ร้าน MUJI : หยุดขายหูฉลาม

MUJI : Stop selling shark fin soup

I, the undersigned, call on MUJI to immediately stop selling shark fin soup in its stores worldwide due to the critical endangering of global shark populations, a matter of grave international concern. I call on MUJI USA to exert whatever influence they can over the company as a whole in order to stop its involvement with the rapid decline in shark numbers.

I was extremely disappointed with MUJI when I found the petition “MUJI JAPAN: Stop selling shark fin soup” on Change.org, because the selling of such a soup is a direct contradiction to the company's stated policy of aiming to “make products that are good for people and the environment”.

The most accurate assessment to date of the impact of commercial fishing on sharks suggests around 100 million are being killed every year. Researchers predict that shark populations may be wiped out over the next 10-20 years due to this overexploitation. With sharks being apex predators, the critical endangering of global shark populations will seriously affect marine-ecosystems.

Furthermore, sharks are known to contain dangerously elevated levels of mercury, putting consumers, especially women and children, at risk. Governments, organizations and members of the public in countries throughout the world are now fighting against the continued sale of shark fin products.

The advocator of the petition, a lifelong customer of MUJI JAPAN, sent a polite letter to the company regarding this issue in January of 2013. MUJI's answer was disappointing in the extreme:
“Shark fin soup is a traditional food, thus we will not stop selling it unless the Japanese government officially bans it.”

MUJI also named blue sharks as the species exploited for its products. Blue sharks are thought to be the most frequently caught shark species, with population declines of up to 80% in some regions since the 1980s. The species is now classified as "near-threatened" on the IUCN Red List.

Considering the scale of MUJI's operations and customer base, MUJI's continued support of the shark slaughter will certainly affect regional ecosystems. Ironically, despite claiming a committment to food safety, MUJI seems not to care at all about the danger posed to its customers by elevated mercury levels in sharks.

You, MUJI, have placed great importance on customer opinion in the past, wisely rejecting real-fur for clothing items despite a lack of official government regulations on the matter. So I do believe you will stop selling shark fin soup if you truly care about what is right for the environment and what is right for your customers.