Friday, January 11, 2013

BWI: Humane Society International Thanks MLA Shri. Ramalinga Reddy For Supporting Campaign to End Animal Testing for Cosmetics

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: Humane Society International
Friday, January 11, 2013 02:55 PM IST (09:25 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Economy, Lifestyle, People, Social issues; Business: Business services, Media & entertainment
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Humane Society International Thanks MLA Shri. Ramalinga Reddy For Supporting Campaign to End Animal Testing for Cosmetics


Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Friday, January 11, 2013 -- (Business Wire India) -- Humane Society International applauds veteran statesman and Member of Legislative AssemblyShri. Ramalinga Reddy for urging swift action to update Indian law to end animal testing of cosmetics. The call came in letters to India's Ministers of Health, Environment, as well as Consumer Affairs/President of the Bureau of Indian Standards. Reddy, who has pledged his support for HSI's Be Cruelty-Free campaign, said India must not be left behind in the global effort to eliminate cruelty in the cosmetics industry.

MLA Ramalinga Reddy's letter is addressed to the three key regulators for safety testing of cosmetics and animal experimentation in India, and comes at a pivotal point in the global drive to replace animals in cosmetics testing. Effective 1 Jan. 2013, Israel banned the import of cosmetics tested on animals, and from 11 March, a similar sales ban will come into force across the European Union. Both markets have already banned domestic cosmetics animal testing.

Reddy wrote:
"Conventional animal tests are decades old, first devised when science had only a very basic understanding of toxicity. We must ensure that India is the next major market in the world to ban cosmetics animal testing. At a time when as many as 18,000 existing cosmetic ingredients are available to manufacturers and more than 400 companies around the globe have sworn off the use of new ingredients that have been or may be tested on animals, there can be no excuse for India not taking a pro-active stance towards eliminating animals in the testing of cosmetics."

India has yet to take a stand on cosmetics testing but is coming under increasing pressure to do so. In April last year, leading animal protection advocate HSI launched Be Cruelty-Free, the largest ever global campaign to end cosmetics animal testing, with initiatives in the United States, Australia, Brazil, South Korea and beyond. HSI India has already been working with its partners - FIAPO, Blue Cross of India and CPREEC - as well as building collaborations with Members of Parliament and organizations such as Maneka Gandhi's People for Animals, to submit legislative amendments to the government that will see animal testing replaced with advanced, non-animal research methods.

"Humane Society International/India is leading efforts to eliminate cruelty in testing of cosmetics," said Alokparna Sengupta, HSI India's Be Cruelty-Free campaign manager. "HSI India recently met with the Drug Controller General of India alongside some of the biggest companies in the cosmetics industry and has developed a strategy for achieving an end to cosmetics testing on animals. With the great support of Mr. Ramalinga Reddy, we feel sure we will be able to push for what is best for both humans and animals, an end to testing that is neither ethical nor scientifically credible."

HSI's Be Cruelty-Free campaign combines consumer campaigning and political lobbying with corporate and scientific outreach to achieve change in policy and practice. New, safe and innovative cosmetics can be produced without animal testing by using the thousands of existing ingredients for which safety data are already available, combined with advanced non-animal testing methods such as 3D human skin and advanced computer models.

To show your support for an end to animal testing for cosmetics in India and around the world, sign a Be Cruelty-Free pledge today or just give a missed call to 080-4931-1223.


CONTACT DETAILS
Alokparna Sengupta, Humane Society International, +91 9849094113, asengupta@hsi.org

KEYWORDS
ECONOMY, LIFESTYLE, PEOPLE, SOCIAL, BUSINESS SERVICES, MEDIA

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