Australians for Cruelty Free Cosmetics

Hello friends,

Now for a topic that is close to my heart (and I know a lot of my customers and fellow crafters hearts)

....banning animal testing!

http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/australians-for-cruelty-free-cosmetics

The petition is a joint venture from three of the (amazing) major groups in Australia, who tirelessly work towards bringing Australia into a more ethical, caring and compassionate present and future. This petition is being sent to the Australian Minister for Health and Ageing See below for more information on each group.

I will also point out that I'm a financial member of all of these groups!

I strongly encourage you to sign this petition. In my experience, I have found even those that choose to eat meat and animal products, who are not vegetarian or vegan, are still morally outraged by the unnecessary and pointless horror of animal testing in cosmetics.

Choose Cruelty Free (CCF) is an independent, non-profit organisation which actively promotes a cruelty-free lifestyle. CCF is designed to: • Encourage manufacturers and service providers to adopt a cruelty-free ethic. • Survey companies which claim to sell products that have not been tested on animals and do not contain cruelly-derived ingredients and accredits (without charging a fee) companies which satisfy CCF's criteria. Accreditation criteria is probably the most stringent in the world today. Accreditation and listing in the Preferred Products List (PPL) are free of charge. The PPL is a booklet listing companies and brand names that operate under a cruelty-free ethic, providing consumers with information so they can choose products according to their personal ethical standards. • Make available (by way of a licensing arrangement) an independent, consumer recognised logo which manufacturers can incorporate in their labelling and advertising material to readily identify their companies as cruelty-free. • Make people aware of their power, as consumers, to change attitudes about testing products on animals. www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au

Humane Research Australia Inc. is a not for profit organisation that challenges the use of animals in research and promotes the use of more humane and scientifically-valid non animal methodologies. Humane Research Australia works professionally and ethically to develop community-wide awareness of animal experimentation; pursues all reasonable channels to eliminate such eperimentation and champions the benefits of realistic, scientifically effective alternatives to all forms of animal usage in research and teaching. The Association will hold and maintain the following as core principles: • Extrapolation of research data obtained from animal experimentation to humans is ineffective, inconclusive and often unnecessarily dangerous. • There are more scientifically reliable and effective ways to conduct research other than with the use of animals. • Animal-based research and teaching represents unnecessarily cruel and unethical treatments of other sentient beings with little or no redeeming value for human or other species’ advancement. www.humaneresearch.org.au

Who is Animals Australia Inc.? Animals Australia is Australia's foremost national animal protection organisation, representing some 40 member societies and thousands of individual supporters. Animals Australia has an unprecedented track record in investigating and exposing animal cruelty and for conducting world-first strategic public awareness campaigns. Animals Australia's work has resulted in two Four Corners programs exposing the cruelty of live animal export, five 60 Minutes reports highlighting the impact of factory farming and the live export trade on animals and further stories exposing animal cruelty on Today Tonight, Four Corners, A Current Affair and Landline. Investigations in Indonesia and in the Middle East resulted in the first ever suspension of the live export trade (to Egypt) and in 2011 the suspension of the live trade to Indonesia. Investigations into the factory farming of pigs in Australia which aired on 60 Minutes was a catalyst to the pig industry agreeing to voluntarily phase out the use of pregnant sow stalls by 2017. Campaign Director and Chief Investigator Lyn White's work has been acknowledged through being a state finalist for Australian of the Year, ABC Newsradio's 2011 'Newsmaker of the year' and Crikey.com's 2011 'Person of the Year'. Animals Australia believes that we can create a better world for all through promoting kindness to animals. Our goal is to significantly and permanently improve the welfare of all animals in Australia. www.animalsaustralia.org.au