Is chicken on your plate tonight?Maybe korma, stir-fry, or biryani?
Global poultry consumption per capita increased from 9.8kg in 2000 to 14.8kg in 2019.In 2023, the global chicken meat production is projected to be 103.4 million metric tons.
Feathers make about 8% of the body weight of chicken.
This puts the total feather waste generated in 2023 alone at 8.38 million metric tons
What makes this a problem?Feathers consist of predominantly α-keratin and β-keratin. Extensive disulphide bonds and non-covalent interactions give feathers a high resistance to proteolytic microorganisms, chemicals, and mechanical stress.