Symbol Ideas For our symbol, we have decided to stick with one animal. We took the inspiration from the brands like WWF and Peta they both using only one animal for the logo which represents all animals in the world. We made a list of different animals we would like to create a logo of and looked at the spirit animal symbolism.
- Squirrel
- Turtle
- Dolphin
- Rabbit
- Cat
We decided to choose a rabbit for our symbol design as a representation of all pet and household animals. Also, the rabbit shape is very distinctive and people will be able to recognize it. As an inspiration, we used an illustration of the specific bunny that we have been taking pictures of.
Symbol Development Using our pictures of the rabbit Katie has created a couple of digital sketches for our logo symbol.
These rabbit logo illustrations were taken in a group crit, so we could have other opinions and suggestions from peers and tutors. Overall, majority of the votes gravitated to the second design as is was simple, clear, has a distinctive rabbit feature and the fur was unique. They suggested to us to try some neutral yet friendly colours to make the logo look welcoming and eye-catching. Also we have been suggested to make lines softer as they are too sharp.
Feedback:
- The eyes on the white/black design makes the design looks like the rabbit doesn't have a soul.
- There are too many details, the logo should be simple and clear also noticeable from the distance. If the logo would be in a lower scale, people won't be able to see the details like dots on the rabbit's face and fur.
- The brown colour looks better as it makes the design more friendly and encouraging.
Using the suggested feedback I tried to make the design more simple and clear without any details on. Also tried inverted colours with white outlines. With Katie we decided to choose the third illustration for our logo which is the brown rabbit. The reasoning out of the selection was it implied friendliness, warmth, innocent and suited the concept well.
Slogans Research
We have looked for existing/ current campaign posters to get some inspiration for our slogans. A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, commercial, and another context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the public or a more defined target group. The campaigns are using simple and catchy slogans which communicates the messages in a clear and quick way.
With Katie we have come up with numerous of slogans for our four animal's issues. With the help of our classmates and group crits, we chose 4 different slogans. * I could make you more happy being your best friend. * I am more comfortable when you hold me. * I’m not a test subject... I’m your best friend * I’m not made for your clothes... I’m made for your love. * If you don’t think I need enhancements.. why do you? * Saving those from cruelty.
With Katie we have come up with a couple of different brand ideas. For this research, we looked at already existing charity brands and magazines names. After a group crit, a majority of feedback suggested using the namePet Talk name. However, we were unsure about this brand name as it doesn't relate to the topic of the brief. Therefore we were considering an alternative name. Below is a list of our 7 names.
- Pet Talk
- Animal Voice
- Pet Kingdom
- Speak for the Animals
- Petster
- Time for Animals
- Pet O'clock
After having a short discussion with Katie we decided to change our concept due to the time schedule. We decided to go with the second concept which contains an adoption gift box with a leaflet, poster designs, and possible website mockups. Also, Katie came up with the fresh ideas for our name.
* Pet Protection
* Petection
The name Petection is a mixture of Pet and Protection which is more suitable for our theme. We concluded that this name was more appropriate to the concept of our brief.
When commencing this brief it is essential to begin plan out with the collaborator, I've plan what we need to do: research, design ideas, important information based on animal cruelty if this is still ongoing and so on. With this plan this can help narrow down what ideas and information needs to be pinpointed.
While planning we decide we wanted to avoid the traditional advertising campaign products this consists of Graphical posters, heavy and long leaflets, persuading declaratives to create guilt on the consumer and so on. We decided to be a bit more friendly and let consumers be aware of animal cruelty is still not completely banned.
Our initial ideas
* Our first idea was to create a set of seasonal animals magazines based on four different topics: cosmetics, medication testing, fur and adopt don't buy. The magazines would contain photographs which will be captured by us. These photographs will be used for the magazine cover, information on the four topics will be sectioned into, facts, statistics, samples and animal guides.
Below is a mind map of our plan:
* The second idea was to create an adoption box contain with the following: letter of thanks, A5 two-sided leaflet that contains facts and statistics, stickers, t-shirt, stuff toy on the animal the consumer has chosen to adopt, a loyalty or membership card (to collect the stickers) and treats for the pet the consumer owns. This is initial inspired by the Happy Bunny Club adoption box. Website mock-ups, poster designs, and potentially social media feeds maybe included depending on the timeframe of the brief. Happy Bunny Club - inspiration
HappyBunnyClub box - 'Every box has at least 2 fun toys, 2 bags of all natural treats and 1 or 2 surprise items. We lovingly pack these inside a yummy cardboard box, with non toxic paint (so your bunny can enjoy this too). We also include a hand sealed letter, listing all ingredients, our charity of the month, and exciting bunny news.'
Every year, millions of animals are killed for the clothing industry. Whether they come from Chinese fur farms, Indian slaughterhouses, or the Australian outback, an immeasurable amount of suffering goes into every fur-trimmed jacket, leather belt, and wool sweater.
Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages. Fur farmers use the cheapest and cruelest killing methods available, including suffocation, electrocution, gassing, and poisoning. More than half the fur in the U.S. comes from China, where millions of dogs and cats are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, and sometimes even skinned alive for their fur. Chinese fur is often deliberately mislabeled, so if you wear any fur, there’s no way of knowing whose skin you’re in.
Most leather comes from developing countries such as India and China, where animals routinely have their throats cut and their skin ripped off while they are still conscious. In India, a PETA investigation found that cows have their tails broken and chili peppers and tobacco rubbed into their eyes so that they will walk after they collapse while traveling long distances to slaughter.
Most of the world’s wool comes from Australia, where sheep undergo “mulesing,” a gruesome mutilation in which large chunks of skin and flesh are cut from lambs’ backsides without any painkillers. Each year, millions of sheep discarded by the Australian wool industry are crammed onto export ships to be sent to the Middle East. Sheep who survive the terrifying voyage are often dragged off trucks by their ears and legs, tied up, and beaten and have their throats cut while they are still conscious.
The exotic skins trade is just as horrifying. Snakes and lizards are skinned alive because of the belief that live flaying makes leather more supple. Kid goats are boiled alive to make gloves, and the skins of unborn calves and lambs—some purposely aborted, others were taken from slaughtered pregnant cows and ewes—are considered especially “luxurious.
Which animals are used in the fur trade?
BeaversBeavers are extremely gentle, family-oriented animals who mate for life and remain lifelong friends with their offspring. The second-largest rodent in the world, the beaver can live 19 years, reach 60 pounds, and grow up to 4 feet long. Baby beavers, or “kits,” are usually born to hard-working, loving parents who have been together for many years. Female beavers are especially busy as they care for their young while looking after their rambunctious “teenagers.”
ChinchillasChinchillas are shy, intelligent animals who eat vegetables and fruits and can live up to 15 years in the wild. Social “chatterboxes,” these sensitive nocturnal animals can spend all night long “talking” to one another. Fastidiously clean, they require frequent dust baths to care for their extremely dense fur. These “fluff fests” also provide invaluable moments of comfort and entertainment—moments that are denied caged chinchillas who are cruelly “farmed” for their fur.
Dogs and cats “Man’s best friend” killed for fur? It’s not just a bad dream. PETA’s recent undercover investigation into the Chinese dog and cat fur trade revealed what the industry is so desperate to hide. Even our veteran investigators were horrified at what they found: Millions of dogs and cats in China are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, and strangled with wire nooses so that their fur can be turned into trim and trinkets.
FoxesFoxes are intelligent nocturnal animals who rely on their big bushy tails to spread scent in order to communicate. Foxes usually survive by eating fruit, berries, roots, carrion, rats, and slugs. Foxes play an important ecological role, as they “clean” the environment, and their survival often depends upon the amount of available food in their territories. They bury food and have a very good sense of hearing, picking up sounds of small animals in the grass, underground, or under the snow. They have a keen sense of smell and will hunt from dusk to dawn.
Minks Sometimes called “marsh otters,” minks love to swim (aided by their slightly webbed hind feet) and are often found near water. They can swim to depths of 50 feet underwater on just one breath. In the wild, minks are generally territorial and solitary and often travel long distances, sometimes using the dens of other animals as “hotel pit stops.” Minks prefer habitats that provide good cover—such as grass, brush, trees, and aquatic vegetation—and they make their dens in cavities in brush or rock piles, logjams, and exposed roots of trees. Rabbits
Rabbits are extremely social animals who live with their families in underground burrows called “warrens.” They can hop faster than a cat, human, or white-tailed deer can run. Rabbits love nibbling on alfalfa, timothy hay, apples, carrots, and crisp, green veggies, and they chew vigorously to trim their front teeth, which never stop growing. They communicate through body language, marking their territories like cats by rubbing their chins on twigs, rocks, or other landmarks.
Raccoons
Raccoons can be recognised by their beautiful eyes, which are outlined by a black mask of fur. They have thick, fuzzy brown-gray fur, and highly sensitive ears tufted with white fur. Those who live in humid, dense forests have darker fur than those in arid climates, where raccoon fur is a lighter, reddish colour. Their bushy tails keep them balanced and stores fat during winter months, while their front limbs provide them with great manual dexterity.
Seals For thousands of years, harp seals have migrated from Greenland down the coast of Canada, stopping each spring to give birth on the ice floes. Female harp seals give birth to one pup each year.
Bears For nearly two centuries, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has waged a war on black bears, subsidizing the slaughter of hundreds of these animals in Canada and using their pelts to make headpieces for The Queen’s Guards.
We have started from creating a survey using SurveyMonkey regarding public opinions on fur trade.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BQHTHW5 In total we have received 9 responses.
Have you ever bought an item of clothing which was real fur?
Yes - 1
No - 8
- gloves
Would you ever wear animal fur to fit in with the 'fashion'?
Yes - 1
No - 8
Do you think it is acceptable for people to be wearing real animal fur?
Yes - 3
No - 5
Other comments:
- It depends on the persons views
Would you buy fur if it was retailed at a low price?
Yes - 3
Maybe - 1
No - 5
What are your views on people who wear animal fur?
- They're just people with bad decisions
- Unnecessary
- without any feelings and probably rich
- dont mind them
- rich
- Ignorant
- I think it's all round wrong but I don't think people who wear it are bad I don't think they fully understand that they are promoting the killing and skinning of animals
- depends what kind of fur and their attitude towards it
- Disgusting
Given the choice, would you ban all fur clothing?
Yes: 6
No: 3
Do you consider the use of fur as Animal Cruelty?
Yes: 7
No: 2
Every year, millions of animals are killed for the clothing industry—all in the name of fashion. Do you think that killing animals for fashion is morally correct? Explain your thoughts.
- No not at all, animals should not have to suffer and lose their lives in order for one jacket in a run way show
- No, I've seen videos of animals skinned alive for their fur, it's disgusting and has no real point to it
- No at all.. I heard that animals are still alive 5 minutes after being skinned alive. Heartbreaking
- it is alright, because human also kill animals for meat
- No its not morally correct at all, animals should never be hurt for the benefit of human beings. There are alternatives for fur products which dont need to hurt animals. Its unnecessary.
- I do not think it's right to kill an animal for its fur. Most people are only going to wear the fur for maybe 2-3 months of the year when an animal could have lived instead
- depens what kind of fur
- No. Humans are no better than animals and we should not treat them as "items". They are LIVING creatures :)
Do you support PETA (People for ethical treatment of animals), who are against all types of animal cruelty?
We find happy homes for abandoned or unwanted pets and we keep pets healthy by promoting welfare and providing treatment.
Blue Cross for pets Sick, injured and homeless pets have relied on us since 1897. Abandoned or unwanted, ill or injured, pets turn to us for help every year. Our doors are always open to them, and with your support, they always will be. Each year, thousands of cats, dogs, small pets and horses turn to our animal hospitals, clinics and rehoming services for treatment and to find them the happy homes they deserve. Our vision is that every pet will enjoy a healthy life in a happy home and we won’t rest until we achieve it. But we really need your help. We care for more than 40,000 pets every year but we know it’s not enough – there are many, many more out there who still desperately need us and we must be there for them. By 2020 we want to be helping 70,000 animals a year, and your support will help to make sure this happens
* £2 a day could keep a cat warm and safe at one of our centers
*£20 could fund an unwanted horse’s basic hoof care
*£136 could provide clinical care for a homeless dog during their stay with us
Please help my friends too
Hi, I’m Agnes, and I really didn’t get off to the best start in life. My whole family was dumped in a box on the street on a winter’s day, and it was so freezing cold that my brothers and sisters didn’t survive. By the time we were rescued, it was just me and Mum left.
I really don’t know how much longer we would have lasted without the guys at Blue Cross. They knew what to do straightaway – they gave us vital vet treatment, a warm, cozy place to stay and lots of love until we were both feeling loads better. Once I was old enough to stand on my own four paws they found me a lovely family to live with, and I’m loving my new pad.
They are the leading organization working to end animal experiments worldwide. They investigate and expose the reality of life for animals in laboratories, challenge decision-makers to make a positive difference for animals, and champion better science and cruelty-free living.
What they do?
Animals in laboratories suffer regardless of national boundaries, so our experts lobby and work with governments and politicians across the world. Always talking rationally and constructively, they set out the benefits of moving away from cruel and old-fashioned animal experiments. They challenge decision-makers to embrace progressive policy. And we champion humane science to benefit both people and animals. Their work is changing international policy and helping animals in laboratories worldwide.
Why they do it?
Animal experiments are cruel, unreliable, and even dangerous. Their dedicated team is experts in their fields, combining award-winning campaigning, political lobbying, pioneering undercover investigations, scientific and legal expertise and corporate responsibility to make a positive difference to animals in laboratories.
'We believe there is no rational moral justification for using animals in experiments.'
What you can do?
Millions of animals are suffering in animal tests around the world right now. They urgently need our help. You can make a difference.
* Donate - Make a gift to animals.
* Raise money for Animals - Be a hero for animals by fundraising
* Make your voice heard - Speak out for animals in laboratories. Sign a petition, write a letter, buy a t-shirt, change the world.
* Go Cruelty-Free - Make your world cruelty free with Leaping Bunny certified cosmetics and cleaning products.
* Leave a Legacy - Pledge a legacy to help animals long into the future.
* Give as you browse - Send a gift when you search the internet, shop online or sell on eBay.
* Organisations - Work with different cruelty-free organisations.
The Body Shop is appealing for support to bring about a global ban on animal testing of cosmetic products and ingredients. Cosmetic animal testing has already been banned in the UK and the EU, but 80% of countries have no laws against it and more than 500,000 animals are used in cosmetic testing each year, according to animal protection organization, Cruelty-Free International.
“We want to stop all cosmetic animal testing of ingredients and products, everywhere and forever,” said a Body Shop spokesperson.“Animals continue to be killed for beauty as animal testing legislation is far too complex. We want to simplify it with one international convention.”
To stop animals being used to test beauty products The Body Shop has teamed up with Cruelty-Free International to launch a new campaign called Forever Against Animal Testing. They are aiming to get eight million signatures on a petition calling for the United Nations to adopt an international convention that will end animal testing for cosmetics products and ingredients “everywhere and forever”.
The Body Shop uses the following humane alternatives to animal testing:1. Testing on humans.2. Computer modeling - which can be used to predict the safety of new cosmetic substances based on knowledge of existing substances.3. Testing on the reconstituted human skin. “Almost every type of human and animal cell can now be grown in the laboratory,” explained the spokesperson.“Scientists have even managed to coax cells to grow into 3D structures, such as miniature human organs, which can provide a more realistic way to test.“Human cells donated from volunteers can provide a more relevant way of studying human biology than animal testing.“For example, tests using reconstituted human skin and other tissues have been developed and are used to replace the cruel rabbit eye and skin irritation tests.
Lush
At Lush, we believe in buying ingredients only from companies that do not commission tests on animals and in testing our products on humans.
Fighting animal testing should be more than a slogan; it needs to be a genuine practice. Unfortunately, it’s become commonplace in the North American cosmetics industry to test products and their ingredients on animals in labs. Laboratory testing is done to substances that make up these cosmetic products, to see whether they are likely to harm people or damage the environment when they are disposed of.
A History on the Fight Against Animal Testing We’ve been against animal testing for over 30 years and will continue to inform, encourage and participate in the fight for animal rights. We’re proud to say that the founders of LUSH have been passionately fighting against animal testing during all of this time, long before LUSH was even an idea. Since the movement to stop animal testing started, policies have been created to work with cosmetics companies and raw materials suppliers to end animal cruelty.
As a cosmetics company we care deeply about both the quality of our products and the safety of our customers, and we happily comply with federal safety standards. Cosmetic companies are responsible for providing safety assurances in whatever manner they deem appropriate. This can be done without any new animal testing by relying on the roughly 20,000 established cosmetic ingredients that have already been evaluated for their safety, and through the use of a growing number of proven, non-animal test methods.
Alternatives
The science of cosmetics safety testing has progressed greatly in recent years, and there are now dozens of proven non-animal test methods accepted by government regulators of cosmetics. Examples include 3-dimensional human skin models, which can fully replace the use of rabbits for skin irritation testing, and cell culture tests for sunlight-induced “photo”-toxicity, genetic mutations, and other harmful effects. Non-animal methods have been shown to be scientifically superior – and usually take less time to complete, at a fraction of the cost of animal experiments.
Lush's Policy
Our policy is the result of a personal effort to reduce animal testing, for companies who supply raw materials to change the way they test for safety and to stop money from going to companies who we believe are morally unsound.We operate our own unique Supplier Specific Boycott, which states we will not buy any ingredient from any manufacturer or supplier that tests anything they produce on any animals for any reason. We ensure the safety of their products by only using ingredients with a long history of safe use, and by testing the finished products on a panel of human volunteers. We support the development and validation of non-animal tests, and campaign against legislation that requires animals to be experimented on. Not only is LUSH passionate about the animal testing policy, our passion also extends to the commitment we have to sourcing ingredients from suppliers that are congruent with our ethics and standards.
Our extremely strict policy against animal testing is unique, and we want our peers in the cosmetics industry to adopt the same stance. We encourage you to boycott cosmetics companies that engage in animal testing.
The LUSH Prize While we have spoken out against animal testing for years, most of our efforts have been focused on our own strict policy and avoiding animal testing. But it is no longer enough for us to passively wait for animal testing to end. We decided to put our money where our mouth is and now offer the LUSH Prize, awarded annually. The £250,000 prize fund, the biggest prize in the alternative testing sector, focuses pressure on safety testing for consumer products in a way which complements projects which already address alternatives to the animal testing of medicines and awards prizes for Science, Training, Lobbying, Public Awareness, and Young Researchers. It is a way that everyone at LUSH, our customers, and the wider public can become involved in the fight to end animal testing.
Adopt, don't buy -source - RSPCA Facts and Figures - On average every 30 seconds, someone in England and Wales dial 0300 1234 999 - the RSPCA's 24-hour cruelty line - for help. In 2016 they received 1,153,744 phone calls. - Their inspectors now investigate more than 149,000 complaints of cruelty and neglect every year. - In 2007, the Animal Welfare Act became law in England, shortly after it was implemented in Wales. Described as the single most important piece of animal welfare legislation for nearly 100 years, the Act places a legal obligation on owners and keepers of animals to care for them properly. - Approximately 3.2 million shelter animals are adopted each year (1.6 million dogs and 1.6 million cats). About 710,000 animals who enter shelters as strays are returned to their owners. Of those, 620,000 are dogs and only 90,000 are cats. The UK pet population in 2017 is estimated at: *8.5 million dogs *8.0 million cats
In the UK, about 1 in 2 households own a pet with around 20 million pets owned (excluding fish).
Every year the PFMA commissions the well respected Pet Population report, which looks in detail at pet ownership trends. In 2017 it is estimated that 12m (44% of) households have pets. The pet population stands at around 54 million.
Each year a representative sample of UK adults are interviewed, by TNS, in face-to-face interviews, regarding their pet ownership. Historically, a sample of over 2,000 people were interviewed each year, but in the last two years, a sample of over 4,000 people have been interviewed. In order to further reduce statistical uncertainty, survey results are averaged over 2 years, giving an effective sample of over 8,000 people.
The companies in the graphic below don’t support tests on sensitive, intelligent animals. These are just a few of the thousands of companies in our cruelty-free database. By purchasing products solely from cruelty-free companies, you’ll be helping to end cruel tests on animals, while sending a powerful message to the companies that still test.
As long as people continue to buy animals from breeders, animals awaiting homes in shelters may never get the chance to go on romps at the park, enjoy overnight cuddle sessions, or know the security of their own home.
If you or someone in your life is ready for the responsibility of welcoming an animal into the family, choose the ethical way and adopt from a shelter. Buying animals from a breeder guarantees one thing: Animals in shelters lose a chance at finding their forever homes.
Thousands of animals are being dumped and killed year-on-year, yet still, we buy. Why? People bought a puppy or kitten because they want to ‘train them from scratch’ or somehow mould their personalities. The irony is that rescue centers are overwhelmed with puppies and kittens, especially after Christmas and often with ‘designer breeds’. People buy a cute little thing thinking it’s all going to be sunshine and roses and then realize that an untrained, young animal is actually a lot of hard work. Another irony is that a slightly older animal, who is already house-trained, might have been a more suitable companion from the get-go. Furthermore, too many people fail to get their animals spayed or neutered, so abandoned pups and cats are free to impregnate or get pregnant. Pregnant cats are especially common as females are fertile at a young age. Many of them end up in shelters with bulging bellies and their kittens are born into rescue. If you want a puppy or a kitten you will find plenty if you choose to adopt. Source
10 Reasons to Adopt, don't Shop!
You save a life
This is maybe the biggest reason of all! By adopting, you’re giving an animal another chance at life. Some have terrible pasts, and have been abused, abandoned or left to fend for themselves on the streets. You are giving an animal a happy and safe home where they can learn and feel safe.
You won't be supporting backyard breeders
Many dogs or cats are forced to breed as often as possible, and kept under cruel conditions in farms. By choosing to adopt, you are avoiding these organisations and supporting animal welfare in the process.
You help stop pet overpopulation
By choosing to adopt rather than go to a shop or breeder for a specific type of pet, you are caring for an animal that already needs support instead of bringing another puppy or kitten into the world.
You might find your dream pet
With thousands of shelters, there’s bound to be one near you that might currently be home to an animal that is perfect for you and your family. After spending time at the shelter, you may fall in love with a completely different animal to the one you thought you wanted.
You gain the advantages of an adult animals
Many dogs or cats in shelters are adolescent or adult dogs/cats rather than young puppies or kittens. But this means they’re likely to already know some basic commands or be housetrained, making your life a lot easier when you bring your animal home!
You get the lifetime support of shelter employes
No one knows more about the animal you are adopting than the people working at the shelter each day providing care and support for them. They will be able to assist you with the move and help you carry on any training or behavior work!
You support a valuable community and charitable institution
It’s always good to show support and help out a local organization, and these shelters are providing a valuable service to animals in their care so by adopting one, you’re also helping provide for the ones left at the shelter!
You adopt a healthy pet
By adopting from a shelter, you can be assured that your pet has had excellent medical treatment, received any necessary vaccinations and may have even already been sterilized or microchipped, meaning it’s a perfectly healthy pet.
You encourage others to do the same
People are sometimes wary of new ventures, but it only takes one of their friends to adopt a shelter pet and they’ll be assured it can go smoothly!
You’ll be rewarded with so much love and gratitude
Many animals up for adoption just want to find a loving home and their forever family, and are more than willing to show you bundles of love if you take the time to get to know them properly! Knowing you’ve saved an animal from an unhappy background brings eternal gratitude from your new loyal companion.
Animals used for experimentations -source - Peta Right now, millions of mice, rats, rabbits, primates, cats, dogs, and other animals are locked inside barren cages in laboratories across the country. They languish in pain, ache with loneliness, and long to be free. Instead, all they can do is sit and wait in fear of the next terrifying and painful procedure that will be performed on them.
Before their deaths, some are forced to inhale toxic fumes, others are immobilized in restraint devices for hours, some have holes drilled into their skulls, and others have their skin burned off or their spinal cords crushed. In addition to the torment of the actual experiments, animals in laboratories are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them—they are confined to barren cages, socially isolated, and psychologically traumatized. The thinking, feeling animals who are used in experiments are treated like nothing more than disposable laboratory equipment.
Fact and figures - United Kingdom
4.87 million experiments on animals
Of the 1.93 million experimental procedures completed in 2014, 149,917 were assessed as “severe,” including “long-term disease processes where assistance with normal activities such as feeding and drinking are required or where significant deficits in behaviors/activities persist.
What You Can Do
Tell research-funding agencies to kick their animal experimentation habit.
Virtually all federally funded research is paid for with your tax dollars. NIH needs to hear that you don’t want your tax dollars used to underwrite animal experiments, regardless of their purpose. When writing letters, be sure to make the following two points: • Animal experimentation is an inherently unethical practice, and you do not want your tax dollars used to support it. • Funding for biomedical research should be redirected into the use of epidemiological, clinical, in vitro, and computer-modeling studies instead of cruel and crude experiments on animals.
Cosmetics testing using animals - source RSPCA
The use of animals to test cosmetics products or their ingredients is banned in the UK and all other member states of the European Union. Since March 2013, it has also been illegal to sell cosmetics products within the EU which have been, or which contain ingredients, newly tested on animals. The RSPCA has long campaigned against this use of animals. There are already more than enough cosmetics products available and thousands of existing cosmetics ingredients are accepted as safe. It is simply not justifiable to cause animal suffering to develop more. It is encouraging that a number of countries outside the EU are also now seeking to adopt similar bans. However, in others - including China and the United States of America - animals are still used to test cosmetics ingredients and products. Our focus will now be on ending the suffering of these animals too.
Is animal testing for cosmetics not already prohibited in Europe? Yes, that is true : there can be no animal testing for cosmetic purposes carried out in Europe. Animal testing for finished cosmetic products is already banned since 2004, animal testing for cosmetic ingredients is banned since 11 March 2009 ('testing ban'). Since March 2009 it is also prohibited to market in the Union cosmetic products containing ingredients which have been tested on animals in order to meet the requirements of the Directive ('marketing ban').
But for the most complex tests the marketing ban deadline was extended to 11 March 2013. This means that for these tests companies could still carry out the tests outside the Union for cosmetic purposes and rely on the results for the safety assessment in the Union. This is not possible any more after 11 March 2013. Why is animal testing carried out for cosmetics anyhow?
It is crucial to make sure that products that come into contact with our body day-by-day are safe for human health. Cosmetics are products that are used by consumers every day – there are estimates that each consumer uses at least seven different cosmetics per day and many of us will use more. Animal testing data is still needed to carry out this safety assessment – for example to establish whether or not a certain ingredient can cause skin allergy or contributes to the formation of cancer.
So is it possible to fully replace animal testing by other methods?
No, this is not yet possible in all cases. A lot of progress has been made, but there remains a lot to be done. Several alternative test methods have been validated by the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM) and have subsequently been included in OECD Testing Guidelines and in the respective Union legal texts. For example, reconstructed human skin models exist to test whether an ingredient can cause skin irritation.
However, for the complex health effects that concern the whole human organism the situation is much more complicated. Important progress has been made here as well and methods have been validated or are undergoing validation that can then be used as building blocks within an overall testing strategy. Replacement will however not be achieved by replacing one animal test with one in vitro test and it is difficult to predict when full replacement will be possible. More research is needed.
More information - World makeover
A year ago, the sale within the European Union of cosmetics newly tested on animals was banned. This followed a 25-year campaign by the RSPCA and other animal protection groups. But this story is not yet over - animal life investigates.
For decades, the RSPCA has campaigned tirelessly on behalf of laboratory animals. One issue, which has captured much of the public’s attention over this time, has been the use of animals to test cosmetics products and their ingredients. In the late 1990s this use of animals was banned in the UK and a similar ban took effect across the EU in 2009. Then, in March 2013, the sale within the EU of cosmetics newly tested on animals was outlawed. Despite the EU ban, not all products are made by cosmetics companies that are no longer involved with animal testing.
Global end - Consumers should be aware that many well-known brands continue to test their products or ingredients on animals outside of the EU to sell in other parts of the world, or choose to continue to market their products in countries where the authorities require mandatory animal testing. So, the next phase of our campaign will be aimed at encouraging cosmetics companies to stop these practices globally, and for good.
Cruelty-free testing - When it comes to cosmetic ingredients there are plenty to choose from – the industry has more than 20,000 that are accepted as safe. Companies also have the option of developing new ingredients using existing alternative test methods, where available, without having to resort to animal use. “Many people believe that testing cosmetics using animals is a thing of the past, yet numerous animals over much of the world still suffer in the name of beauty,” says RSPCA Campaigner Eloise Shavelar. “The RSPCA wants to see the day when no new cosmetics product or ingredient is tested on any animal, anywhere in the world.”
Most cosmetics products have a lifespan of less than five years and manufacturers reformulate 25 percent of their products every year. It’s inevitable that companies will look to develop innovative new products, but if this involves causing animal suffering we believe this is simply unacceptable. “If cosmetics companies can comply with this EU ban and still trade within the EU, there is no reason why they cannot adhere to a non-testing policy worldwide,” says Eloise. “There is no excuse for any more animals to suffer in these tests.”
Positive steps - A number of well-loved global brands, for example The Body Shop, Lush and Marks and Spencer, have been selling cosmetic products that contain no newly animal tested ingredients for a number of years. The EU ban has generated even more positives, with Israel and India both introducing their own bans on the use of animals to test cosmetics, and other countries considering doing the same. Chinese authorities are also taking an interest in the alternative test methods already validated and accepted in the EU and recently announced a small but encouraging first step of ending mandatory animal testing for certain domestically produced cosmetics products. Cosmetics companies now have a clear chance to be ahead of the game and demonstrate – rather than just talk about – their commitment to crueltyfree cosmetics.
What is being done to find alternative methods?
The Commission has made about EUR 238 million available between the years 2007 and 2011 for research into alternative methods to animal testing alone. The largest part of this budget, around EUR 198 million, was spent on projects through the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes. The second largest part was spent on the European Reference Laboratory for Alternative Methods to Animal Testing for its work on alternatives. The Communication adopted by the Commission today recognises the importance of continuing this research.
In addition, the cosmetics industry plays an active role in the development of alternatives. A very concrete example is the SEURAT-1 initiative ('Safety Evaluation Ultimately Replacing Animal Testing') in the field of repeated dose toxicity. This project is jointly funded by the European Commission and the cosmetics industry, each of which are contributing a EUR 25 million between 2011 and 2015.
RSPCA - Are animal experiments necessary?
Animal experiments are one of the traditional approaches to studying how human and animal bodies work (in health and illness) and for testing medicines and chemicals.
Scientists who use animals argue that there is currently no other way to achieve their scientific objectives, and that any pain or distress caused to the animals is outweighed by the potential benefits of their research. However, ‘necessity’ and ‘justification’ are both matters of opinion and open to debate. There is a range of views on how much suffering should be allowed and for what purpose (e.g. aiming to treat cancer, drug addiction, or male pattern baldness, to assess the safety of a new industrial chemical, or to find out how birds navigate) and to what species of animal. The UK law that controls animal experiments is supposed to reflect this. It requires that the likely harms to the animals are weighed against the potential benefits of the project, that there are no alternatives available, and that the numbers and suffering of animals are minimised.
This provides a framework for making decisions about animal experiments, but the system should be implemented more effectively. For example, it is often suggested that most animal experiments are ‘life-saving’ medical research and are all done to the ‘highest possible standards’. But sweeping statements like these do not stand up to scrutiny, for two main reasons: There is serious debate within the scientific community about the value of information obtained from many animal tests, and about the relevance of various animal ‘models’. This raises doubts about the scientific validity of applying the results from research on animals to humans.There are many concerns about the poor quality of much animal research.
The issues relating to scientific validity and quality are deeply worrying. Research that is of little value, poorly designed or conducted, and badly reported is a waste of animals’ lives, causing suffering that should have been entirely avoidable. Animal experiments like these are certainly neither necessary nor justified. Efforts are at last beginning to be made to recognise and address these problems, and the concerns do not apply to all scientists and research areas. However, poor quality animal research continues to be funded, licensed, carried out and published. This should stop.
What we think?
The scientific community, including researchers, funding bodies, journal editors and the Home Office, should do much more to critically review the scientific validity of animal experiments.
The ‘need’ to use animals, and the justification for the suffering caused, should both be challenged much more strongly. Animals' lives and welfare should be given higher priority.
Badly designed and poorly carried out experiments are invalid science and waste animals' lives. They should not be licensed by the Home Office, given grants by funding bodies or published in scientific journals.
Even scientifically valid research may not add significantly to knowledge in its field, or it may only be of interest to a few people. This does not justify harming animals.
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