More achievements

Our scientists saved over 4.5 million innocent animals from suffering in chemicals testing by highlighting gaps in REACH regulations where there was a huge risk companies might duplicate animal tests. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) issued clarification and guidance to ensure these tests would not take place.

Another amendment the ECEAE lobbied hard for was to give animal protection groups the chance to scrutinise the animal testing proposals which are submitted for REACH. The legislation now gives 45 days for public scrutiny of certain tests to see if there is existing data or another method that could be used. Our scientific experts are going over these proposals with a fine-tooth comb looking for ways to eliminate animal use.

30,000 chemicals will be evaluated under the EU’s new chemical testing regulations REACH. Many of these chemicals had been privately animal-tested years ago by the companies that manufacture them - but none wanted to share the data with their competitors.

The ECEAE successfully campaigned for mandatory data sharing so that companies must pool their collective animal-testing data on a particular chemical, ensuring that safety testing should only be carried out once. Thanks to the ECEAE, data-sharing is now a central feature of the legislation and there are penalties for companies that don’t comply, but we are remaining vigilant about what actually happens in practice.

Due to our intensive lobbying, the development and use of alternatives has been placed centrally in the REACH legislation.

For example, Article 1 now states specifically that one of the aims of REACH is the ‘promotion of alternative methods for assessment of hazards of substances’. It also states that the development of alternatives should be prioritised in future European Union research. Animals can only be used ‘as a last resort’ – we think they should not be used at all, but this is still a big step forward.

The ECEAE’s Humane Cosmetics Standard (HCS), represented by the Leaping Bunny logo, is the only internationally-recognised scheme that guarantees cosmetics and cleaning products companies have moved away from animal testing. Thanks to the HCS, consumers can now choose from over a hundred different approved brands with confidence that the products are cruelty free.

In July 2007 Malaysia announced it was lifting its longstanding ban on the export of monkeys for research. The ECEAE joined forces with an international coalition and led the campaign in Europe with letters of protest sent to the Malaysian government and its Embassies throughout Europe. The Malaysian government announced in early 2008 its intention to reinstate the ban – leaving Malaysian monkeys safe from being exported for research.

In 2009 an attempt to establish a primate testing facility in Malaysia by a European company was suspended following widespread protest from the ECEAE and our partners.