Marks & Spencer claimed yesterday it would be the first high street retailer to guarantee it sold only “cruelty-free” household cleaning and beauty products, in the latest pitch for the increasingly ethically aware consumer.
The firm said it would now guarantee that 1,200 own-brand products and their ingredients would not involve animal testing during the manufacturing process. The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), which has given the initiative its seal of approval, said it was in contact or negotiations with other major stores and manufacturers.
An EU ban on animal-tested cosmetics means no products involving such testing can be sold from 2013. Although a government ban on testing in this country has been in force for a decade, products involving testing in other countries are still sold in the UK.
Now animal welfare campaigners are pressing for similar measures to be applied on household products such as washing-up liquid and laundry powder.
M&S said it found from consumer research that more than 80% of consumers were concerned about animal testing and almost 30% were unaware household products were tested on animals, so clearly labelling its product would “give our customers added peace of mind.”
M&S commits to ‘cruelty-free’ future, The Guardian, April 2, 2008. Congratulations to the BUAV on this important step forward.
