Co-op's cruelty-free stance sets standard
with special cosmetics and toiletries promotions and has announced
that it has become the first retailer to be awarded the British
Union for the Abolition of Vivisection's (BUAV) new cruelty-free
standard for household products.
The Co-operative Group's cosmetics and toiletry products already carry the BUAV humane cosmetics standard "bunny" logo.
The Co-op, which was one of the first to commit to the independent cruelty-free criteria, is prominent in its backing of National Cruelty-Free Week, which runs from Monday 5 July to Sunday 11 July, as part of this commitment.
The organisation said that the BUAV's new humane household products standard is the world's only reliable and international standard for household products that are not tested on animals.
The Co-op has one of the most stringent policies on animal testing of any retailer and guarantees that none of its own-label household products or ingredients have been tested on animals by the Co-op or its suppliers since 1997.
BUAV's corporate relations manager Lauren Bates commented: "As the first supermarket own-label brand to be approved under the BUAV's Humane Household Products Standard, the Co-op has shown that it is possible to provide a wide range of quality, effective and safe household products without the need for animal testing."
The Co-operative Group's policy and standards manager for the Co-op brand Adrian Hill said: "Being the first supermarket to be accredited in this way represents a significant achievement and reinforces our commitment to responsible retailing."
"The Co-op will continue to campaign on animal welfare issues and seek ways to reduce the amount of unnecessary animal testing carried out."
To draw attention to the issues and to highlight National Cruelty-Free Week, the Co-op produced special in-store point-of-sale material simply stating: "There's no animal testing on Co-op brand household products and toiletries - it's how it should be."
In addition, it is running a "BOGOF" (buy one, get one free) promotion on several Co-op household products and toiletries, as well as special offers on a number of own-label products carrying the cruelty-free symbol.
As reported in a recent CosmeticsDesign.com article the Co-op chain of supermarkets removed household products containing artificial musks and phthalates from its products range.
The company was concerned that the chemicals, also commonly found in cosmetics and beauty products can be absorbed by the human body and which have been linked to cancer, fertility problems and environmental damage.
