April 24 is World Day For Laboratory Animals, a themed day that was added in 1979 to draw attention to animal experiments and the suffering that millions of animals endure every day. Animal experiments are used for scientific purposes, mainly in medical and natural science research to develop new medicines. It is also used in the manufacture of cosmetics and hygiene articles to ensure that the products are not harmful for human use. Today, there are large resources and well-developed methods to replace animal testing, but interest in these is cool. Therefore, it is important that laws and regulations continue to be developed so that our animals can live normal lives without suffering.
The protection of animals is threatened
In 2013, a new law came in which made it even more difficult to carry out animal testing on cosmetics and hygiene articles in the EU. The new legislation strengthens the work to find alternative methods to animal testing. It is about finding ways to replace, reduce and refine animal testing. But now the only nine-year-old law has faced new opposition. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has proposed new animal tests on ingredients that have been safe for use in humans for many years. Should this proposal be approved, it means that even more people will have to suffer unnecessarily.
Do you want to make an impact?
Over 100 animal rights and animal welfare organizations in the EU have launched the citizens' initiative Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics to preserve the ban. The goal is to collect 1 million signatures before August 31 to preserve the animals' protection. You can influence by signing the protest so that no more animals have to suffer.
As this is an EU citizen initiative, a social security number is required to ensure that the signatory is a citizen of an EU country and that only one person signs once. The data is not used for anything other than this particular call and is not shared in any way.
Did you know this?
The difference between Cruelty free & vegan
Cruelty free means that the products and their ingredients have not been tested on animals at any stage of production. Vegan means that the products do not contain any traces of animals. It includes ingredients such as honey, beeswax, gelatin, milk, lanolin (a fat secreted from the sheep's sebaceous glands. It is found in the sheep's wool and has the task of protecting it) and placenta (organ from sheep).
Rules for importing
The ban on animal testing also applies to cosmetics imported from countries outside the EU. The companies must be able to demonstrate that the products are harmless in normal use in order to sell them. They must be able to account for the tests that have been carried out on the ingredients, regardless of where in the world the tests have been carried out.
Other laws outside the EU
Companies that sell their products in markets other than Europe may be in breach of EU laws. In some parts of the world, there is a requirement that animal testing be used, and one example is China. If you sell a product in the country, the authority will carry out animal testing because it is the law. This means that even if a company markets itself as Cruelty free in Europe, they can carry out animal testing in other parts of the world. Our tip is to pay attention to where your products are sold and what the laws look like there.
Animal-free methods
Animal testing causes great suffering, is expensive and the results are not always applicable to humans. Many claim that research by e.g. medicine and vaccines require animal testing, but the positive thing is that it is possible to replace animal testing with research into cell models, computer technology and with samples from patients. A large part of AIDS and cancer research is currently done without using animals. In the USA, several well-known universities such as Harvard, Stanford and Yale have chosen to study physiology, pharmacology and surgical courses using animal-free methods. Some of the new study methods instead include observation during operations, human simulations in patients, the use of human corpses donated for medical research, developed computer programs and much more.
Source: Djurensratt.se & Djurrattsalliansen.se
Certifications and markings
Beauty without bunnies – cruelty free
PETA has developed the label which ensures that the products are produced and finished without animal testing, but may contain traces of animals and does not guarantee that the products are vegan.
Beauty without bunnies – cruelty free and vegan
PETA has also developed the label Cruelty free and vegan, which ensures that the products are produced and finished without animal testing, and are vegan.
The Leaping Bunny
Leaping Bunny was developed jointly by animal protection and animal rights organizations in Europe and North America and is used in 24 countries. You can find the certification on brands that are guaranteed not to test their cosmetics, hygiene or cleaning products on animals. Leaping bunny also guarantees that the product does not sell to China where animal testing is a requirement for cosmetics. Does not guarantee that the product is vegan, but cruelty free.
If you want to read the entire list, you can do so here.
A certificate or label for products that are not tested on animals is a safe way to consume without having to think about how the production took place. However, it often means a cost for companies to apply and use without the certificate or label. Of course, this often means a price increase at the product level, which means that many companies that are cruelty free and vegan lack certificates. Therefore, we recommend that you read the company's policy or contact them to ensure that the company does not support animal testing.
