Canada's fur industry is fighting back against the perception that wearing its products is outdated and cruel by launching a million-dollar ad campaign pitching fur as environmentally friendly.

The ads, set to appear next week in national newspapers, depict a young, fur-clad woman as an environmental activist.

A print ad showing a fur-clad model reads 'Eco Fashion.'
(CBC)

Run by the Fur Council of Canada, the campaign uses trendy catchphrases such as renewable, recyclable, biodegradable and non-toxic to depict fur as eco-friendly. The council also stresses the humane treatment of animals used to produce fur.

"I defy anybody to name me a more environmentally friendly produce, something that's produced in nature, that gives us an incentive to protect the forest," said council spokesperson Alan Herscovici.

Designer Paula Lishman, who has worked with fur for 30 years, supports the new campaign.

"It's making people aware, making people feel comfortable to wear their fur, feel proud to wear their fur," said Lishman, who runs a business in Blackstock, Ont., northeast of Toronto.

The campaign takes direct aim at past anti-fur ads that shocked viewers with scenes of models wearing bloodied furs and animal carcasses.

Anti-fur groups say the council's new approach doesn't fool anyone, charging the new campaign is a deceptive and desperate attempt to make fur trendy again.

"It is not an eco-friendly business because eco-friendly means protecting, conserving our wildlife. It does not mean killing our wildlife for fur," said Fannya Eden, with the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals.