PETA Launches 'Working for Regulatory Change' List to Promote Corporate Activism
For
Immediate Release:
September
21, 2011
Contact:
Robbyn
Brooks 202-483-7382
New York -- For the first time in nearly 30 years, PETA is changing its popular "do test" and "don't test" lists that hundreds of thousands of consumers consult before buying cosmetics, household, and personal-care products. Until now, the group has listed only two kinds of companies—those that have banned all tests on animals and those that continue to perform skin, eye, and other painful poisoning tests under a veil of secrecy. Now, PETA has created a third category, called "Working for Regulatory Change," to recognize companies that conduct tests on animals only if they're required by government agencies, that are actively working for the replacement of animals in these tests, and that annually disclose to PETA what tests have been done and why.
New York–based Colgate-Palmolive Company is the first company to meet PETA's stringent requirements and will head the "Working for Regulatory Change" list.
"Colgate-Palmolive has been actively working for the acceptance of non-animal tests for some years now and is open with both PETA and the public about what tests it is required to conduct, which helps PETA push for non-animal tests on the national and international regulatory levels," says PETA Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "By recognizing Colgate-Palmolive's efforts, we hope to encourage other companies to push for an end to all toxicity tests on animals."
"We are pleased with this recognition from PETA," says Daniel Bagley, Colgate-Palmolive's vice president for global product safety. "For 20 years Colgate-Palmolive has encouraged the development of alternatives that are scientifically valid and can be accepted by safety regulators." Colgate has had a moratorium on all tests on animals for its adult personal-care product line for more than a decade. In its last reporting year, Colgate conducted no tests on animals at all.
PETA continues to work toward a complete ban on all testing on animals and lauds the more than 1,000 cosmetics and household-product companies that have entirely banned animal testing.
For more information, please visit PETA's website.