Against animal testing – REACHing for Lush
- January 30th, 2010
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We’ve tried everything we can to ensure that we are not forced to contribute to any animal testing, from petitioning parliament to direct action, but REACH is barrelling ahead without much public awareness and our ingredients suppliers may be forced to contribute to animal tests by law.
All of us who oppose animal testing need to be made aware of the implications of new ’safety’ regulations, particularly as it affects many ethically bsed cosmetic companies such as Lush. Full article quoted below:
As a fan of Lush, I have loved the fact that their products are cruelty free. None of the ingredients or final products are tested on animals. Yet, this may all change, due to a new EU legislation.
REACH, the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals, came into being in June 2007. The purpose of REACH is to establish safety for humans from the 30,000 chemicals that are currently on the market. Sadly, tests will not be carried out on humans – even though they are intended for “our safety”.
Toxicity tests of these chemicals will be applied to guinea pigs, rabbits, rats and mice to see whether they are harmful to humans. Unbelievably dishonourable, I know. Companies have until 2018 to prove to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) that chemicals they are importing, or new chemicals that they are creating, are safe for us. The word chemical is not merely restricted to strange compounds that one cannot even pronounce – it can be a natural ingredient, in such products as can be found in the Lush range. BUAV (the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) estimate that up to 13 million animals will be poisoned and killed in these tests.
Amendments have been made to the REACH legislation, through the efforts of BUAV and other organisations. Yet this is not nearly enough. Data sharing has been exceedingly successful, opening up the data files from companies that have manufactured their own chemicals and making these tests transparent to all other organisations, so that other animals need not suffer to repeat these cruel tests. Companies withheld such information in the past, not wanting the competition to have access to their hard work. The past may not be changed, but the future is still in our hands.
Before the amendments were made to REACH, estimated numbers of animals that would have been affected by the testing were in the region of 38-45 million. Although the numbers have since been reduced to 8-13 million, that is still 8-13 million animals that need to be saved. Read more
