The UK-headquartered company has teamed up again with Cruelty Free International in calling for a global ban on animal testing in cosmetics.
A global commitment to the ban will start in more than 160 branches of The Body Shop in Switzerland in Germany and Austria, as part of a campaign of Cruelty Free World; a global organisation dedicated to halting the use of animals for testing of cosmetic products.
Rolling out
The global commitment will be available in branches of The Body Shop in 65 countries, with the L’Oréal-owned firm saying it is currently the largest and most ambitious campaign for a worldwide ban on cosmetic testing on animals.
"The Body Shop believes wholeheartedly that no animal in the world should suffer because of the demands of governments and regulators,” said Paul McGreevy, head of International Values and R&D at The Body Shop.
Raising awareness and gathering support
Cruelty Free International plans to motivate the 275 million people who visit The Body Shop stores every year, to join them in its quest to end animal testing for cosmetics products, with this campaign.
"The Body Shop is known worldwide, and has been against animal testing from the very beginning,” said Michelle Thew, chief executive of Cruelty Free International.
“The company was a pioneer in the fight against testing on animals and Cruelty Free International is very pleased The Body Shop that supports us in our ground-breaking campaign.”
Delay fears
In the European Union's animal testing has been prohibited for cosmetics since 2009, but beauty products may still be sold that have been tested elsewhere using animals.
The proposed ban is meant to come into play in 2013, but there are fears that this deadline will not be met, and this could lead to a lengthy delay.
The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International initially launched the campaign last month in the UK billing it as the first global pledge campaign to end animal testing in cosmetics.