Co-op’s cruelty-free stance sets standard

The Co-operative Group has become the first retailer to be awarded the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection&#039s (BUAV) new cruelty-free standard for household products.
The BUAV&#039s new Humane Household Products Standard is the world&#039s 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.
Co-op cosmetics and toiletry products already carry the BUAV Humane Cosmetics Standard "bunny" logo and 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 (Monday 5th July to Sunday 11th July) as part of this commitment.
Lauren Bates, Corporate Relations Manager at the BUAV, commented: "As the first supermarket own-label brand to be approved under the BUAV&#039s 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."
Adrian Hill, Policy and Standards Manager for Co-op Brand at the Co-operative Group, 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."
Issues
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&#039s no animal testing on Co-op brand household products and toiletries ? it&#039s 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.