Michelle Thew
CEO, Cruelty Free International
Garnier’s dedication to animal welfare and cruelty-free practices has been made official with its new Leaping Bunny approval.
Are you an ethical consumer? Most Canadians would say yes. We’ve embraced the notion that we can vote with our wallets, making purchasing choices that help to create a better world. In choosing which brands and products to support, Canadians are increasingly interested in the values and practices of the companies behind them, the ingredients within them, and the manufacturing processes that produce them.
Making purchasing choices with a positive impact
In our progressive and socially-conscious era, consumers shop with their hearts and based on their values. More and more, shoppers are choosing to buy goods and services from companies that stand for something and that support causes and initiatives that reflect their own personal values and beliefs. It’s no big surprise then that French cosmetics brand Garnier, which has been a hair and skin expert since 1904 and which has a longstanding dedication to community and sustainability, is a popular choice amongst conscious consumers. Garnier’s commitment to sustainable sourcing, reducing the environmental impact of its packaging, improving the biodegradability of its formulas, and empowering communities is an important and ongoing part of its mission. The company has also been committed to a world against animal testing since the 1980s.
Garnier’s Leaping Bunny approval makes its commitment official
“If you ask people what’s important to them in terms of the beauty products they buy, a product not being tested on animals is always high in terms of people’s concerns,” says Michelle Thew, CEO of Cruelty Free International, a leading global NGO campaigning to end animal experiments. Consumers have long supported companies that are dedicated to animal welfare and cruelty-free practices, and Garnier recently formalized its commitment with an official approval from Cruelty Free International’s Leaping Bunny program. The Leaping Bunny program approves cruelty-free cosmetics, personal care, and household products, and is the best assurance that a company has made a genuine commitment to help end animal testing. Brands must meet rigorous criteria which apply globally and extend over and above laws governing animal testing and include ongoing independent audits.
“Leaping Bunny approval is the global gold standard for a brand that wants to do all it can to end animal testing,” says Thew.
The rigorous steps to become Leaping Bunny approved
Achieving Leaping Bunny approval is a thorough and rigorous process. “We don’t just look at finished products,” says Thew. “We go right down to the level of the raw materials, and forensically examine all of them to make sure they meet Leaping Bunny requirements.”
Leaping Bunny’s approval process inspects a brand’s entire supply chain and investigates all of its suppliers. “With the size and scale of a brand like Garnier, this process takes many months,” says Thew. “Garnier has around 500 suppliers worldwide and 3,000 ingredients.”
All ingredients undergo an independent audit, and brands commit to an ongoing partnership with Cruelty Free International to ensure a continual supply and monitoring process.
An approval that consumers can trust
“We started the Leaping Bunny program with other international animal protection groups because there was a lot of confusion out there,” says Thew. “Brands would make claims about being cruelty-free, but often those claims only related to the finished product.” There were also several accreditation programs with inconsistent standards.
Having the official Leaping Bunny approval is important for companies who are implementing cruelty-free practices. “Even if a brand isn’t animal testing, it’s important for them to demonstrate that they’ve been through the rigour of an external approval process and that they’re opening themselves up to an independent audit,” says Thew. “That transparency is important for consumers, and it also sends a signal to governments. We’re now seeing country after country bring forward legislation to end animal testing. Also, practically, it’s driving change through supply chains.”
Garnier’s cruelty-free pledge is just part of its holistic approach to green beauty, which includes a commitment to sustainability. This approach influences every aspect of the business, reducing or eliminating environmental impact in packaging, products, formulas, manufacturing, and solidarity sourcing.
