The future is looking a little brighter for our furry friends. Two major international brands — H&M and Lush — just joined the campaign to end animal-testing in China, reports WWD. The movement, called #BeCrueltyFree China, is part of an ongoing campaign led by Humane Society International (HSI) and aims to introduce legislative bans on animal-testing and better treatment of farm animals, specifically sheep, that are subject to mulesing (which involves removing skin).
“Animal welfare is important to us at H&M, and we want to contribute to improved animal welfare practices in our industry, which is why we are committing ourselves…to elevate standards throughout the industry and globally,” H&M environmental sustainability business expert Madelene Ericsson told WWD.
Until last year, China mandated that all cosmetics sold in the country be tested on animals, which resulted in the mistreatment of 100,000 to 300,000 rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, and other animals per year. While the lifting of the mandate in 2014 was an important step, there's still a long way to go — both in China and elsewhere. Currently, the EU does not allow the sale or marketing of products or ingredients that have been tested on animals. But, while frowned upon, it is still legal in 80% of countries, including the U.S., according to HSI.
With more and more major beauty brands coming down hard on animal-testing, it would appear that we're moving closer to ending these practices altogether. Until then, here is a list of all the companies that are recognized by Leaping Bunny as being cruelty-free.
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