With eye-catching installations in Paris, Berlin, Madrid, and Milan, the brands Dove and The Body Shop are urging consumers to sign a new petition to keep the pan-European ban on cosmetics animal testing.
With a bold new initiative, ethical beauty champions Dove and The Body Shop are calling on consumers across Europe to take a stand against animal testing in cosmetics.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) made the controversial announcement last week that animal tests could be allowed again in the region, threatening to undermine a decades-long struggle that culminated in a ban on all animal testing and the sale of cosmetics tested on animals in 2013.
In response, Dove and The Body Shop have collaborated with Dutch-based artist and activist Nina Valkhoff to create a striking new artwork that will be displayed as a mural in the heart of Paris, France, as well as illuminated across key landmarks in European cities Berlin, Madrid, and Milan over the next week in an effort to inspire consumers to take action against animal testing and to achieve a more sustainable production and consumption of cosmetic products.
In collaboration with leading animal rights organizations such as PETA, Cruelty Free Europe, Humane Society International (HSI and affiliates), Eurogroup for Animals, and the European Coalition to End Animal Testing, the two brands are urging European civil society to take action against animal suffering by signing a European Citizens Initiative petition to uphold the European ban on animal testing.
"At Dove, we are vehemently opposed to animal cruelty," said Firdaous El Honsali, Senior Director of Global Communications and Sustainability. We strongly believe that animal testing for beauty products or their ingredients has no place, and we have long pioneered safe, humane and sustainable alternatives to assessing the safety of products and ingredients.
"Together with our partners The Body Shop and leading animal protection groups, we urge both our peers in the beauty industry and the general public to sign this European Citizens Initiative to help end animal testing in the EU once and for all."
The Unilever-owned body care stalwart has been certified cruelty-free since 2018 and has long been a supporter of global bans on animal testing, alongside Natura's The Body Shop, which famously became the first global beauty brand to campaign against animal testing in 1989 and has been at the forefront of the current pan-European ban, as well as rallying 8.3 million people to sign a petition to end animal testing globally in 2018 and to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 12 that aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns .
"The Body Shop was the first global beauty brand to fight against animal testing in cosmetics, and this commitment has been at the forefront of our activist campaigns for over three decades," said Christopher Davis, Global CSR and Activism Director at The Body Shop International."We are proud to collaborate with Dove and speak as one voice in support of this European Citizen's Initiative, along with all those working towards a global end to animal testing for cosmetics."
According to experts, the effects of chemicals or drugs could be tested more reliably on artificially produced human skin than on the skin of laboratory animals. This would not only protect animals, but also increase knowledge in the long term. For this reason, the German Federal Ministry of Research has also extended its funding. In their view, it is important not only to develop replacement methods but also to support the concepts for their introduction and dissemination - for example, through training courses. The projects are also to be supported by experienced mentors, thus helping researchers to ease the way for innovative methods to find their way into practice. Various initiatives are already in place to improve the networking of all players in the global society from research, industry and regulatory authorities in this area.
More information: https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/Dove_and_The_Body_Shop_join_forces_to_call_upon_consumers_to_fight_for_cruelty-free_cosmetics_in_Europe/178870