Shock EU Move - Cruelty Free Cosmetics At Risk

dublin | animal rights | news report Wednesday July 19, 2006 23:23 by Stephan Wymore - Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) arancampaigns at eircom dot net ARAN, Po Box 722, Kildare, Ireland n/a

ARAN & Lush Cosmetics Launch Joint New Campaign

Wednesday 19th July at noon, outside the Lush store in Dublin, a giant rabbit from ARAN was encouraging members of the public to ‘Vote Against Animal Testing in Europe’ and to place their voting card in a ballot box. The completed cards will then be sent to MEPs and relevant government authorities. On the windows of every LUSH store in Ireland are posters reading ‘VOTE AGAINST ANIMAL TESTING IN EUROPE’

ARAN & Lady Bunny Launch New Campaign With LUSH

But what is going on? Since 1998, as a result of massive public pressure, there has been a total ban in the UK on the use of animals to test cosmetic products and their ingredients. This is now seriously at risk. With the European Union’s controversial chemical testing program approaching its Second Reading in Brussels, international cruelty-free cosmetics company Lush and the Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) have teamed up for a campaign to highlight the inevitable suffering of animals should this legislation be passed. As well as the voting cards for customers to sign, the campaign, which will be running all week, will feature window displays and leaflets in every Lush store throughout the UK and Ireland.

The chemical testing programme known as REACH – Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals – seeks to test around 30,000 chemicals, all marketed before 1981, for toxicity. As the legislation stands, around five million animals will be poisoned in a programme lasting 11 years. Although cosmetic ingredients are supposed to be exempt from REACH, many of them are also used in other industries and so could be tested on animals. This means that the hard-won ban in Britain on animal-tested cosmetics and toiletries would become meaningless.

Lush and ARAN aim to highlight this issue and have launched their joint ‘Vote Against Animal Testing in Europe’ campaign. Similar campaign launches are taking place in the UK with Animal Aid and will also take place with other reputable animal rights groups across Europe in August.

Since 1998, as a result of massive public pressure, there has been a total ban in the UK on the use of animals to test cosmetic products and their ingredients. This is now seriously at risk. With the European Union’s controversial chemical testing program approaching its Second Reading in Brussels, international cruelty-free cosmetics company Lush and the Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) have teamed up for a campaign to highlight the inevitable suffering of animals should this legislation be passed. As well as the voting cards for customers to sign, the campaign, which will be running all week, will feature window displays and leaflets in every Lush store throughout the UK and Ireland.

The chemical testing program known as REACH – Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals – seeks to test around 30,000 chemicals, all marketed before 1981, for toxicity. As the legislation stands, around five million animals will be poisoned in a program lasting 11 years. Although cosmetic ingredients are supposed to be exempt from REACH, many of them are also used in other industries and so could be tested on animals. This means that the hard-won ban in Britain on animal-tested cosmetics and toiletries would become meaningless.

Lush and ARAN aim to highlight this issue and have launched their joint ‘Vote Against Animal Testing in Europe’ campaign.

Please visit http://www.lush.co.uk/shop/campaignvote/ to sign an online postcard