Leicester City Council hopes to become the first to ensure their cleaning products have not been tested on animals by checking they belong to the BUAV’s (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) Humane Household Products Standard.
The recommendation came about due to overwhelming support from a Cross Party Scrutiny meeting attended by many city councillors. The final decision will be made at a Labour Cabinet meeting on April 25th.
Carylm Sandringham, Lib Dem Spoke for the Arts, Leisure and Environment Scrutiny Meeting said:
“I recently lost two of my pet dogs in a house fire. It really brought home to me that on the one hand, we value animals highly yet on the other, and behind closed doors, we treat them extremely cruelly. There is no need to be testing products on animals, so all City Councils should be following our lead and making sure that they only use products approved by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection’s Human Household Products Standard.”
The BUAV’s (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) Humane Household Products Standard is the only internationally recognised Standard that requires a company to prove that they do not conduct or commission animal testing by applying a strict fixed cut-off date after which no animal testing must have taken place either within the company or throughout the supply chain.
If agreed, it could mean that Leicester City Council’s cleaning supplier and main cleaning company will only supply and use products approved by the Standard, and staff will be audited and appraised to make sure they adhere to the new guidelines.
Lauren Bates, Corporate Relations Manager from the BUAV said
“It is fantastic to see Leicester Council taking a stand on animal testing in this way. If they ensure that all the products they use are approved by our Humane Household Products Standard, they will be making a huge difference to the lives of thousands of animals in the UK and worldwide who are subjected to cruel toxicity tests such as the force feeding of chemicals.”
“Consumers can also identify which cosmetic, household and toiletry products have not been tested on animals, by either looking for the rabbit and stars logo on the product packaging or contacting the BUAV for the free consumer pocket-guide, “The Little Book of Cruelty- Free”, that lists other cruelty free household and cosmetics manufacturers, or downloading the list from our website below, email name and address toinfo@buav.org, or phone: 020 7700 4888.”
http://www.buav.org/gocrueltyfree