The campaign has a worldwide focus but is particularly aimed at the Latin American region, where Avon has a well established and far-reaching business, and animal testing is still widely carried out.
The other region the campaign is focused on is the Southeast Asian region, where there has also been limited progress to outlaw the practice for the cosmetics and personal care industry.
#BeCrueltyFreeInitiative
Avon has pledged to support Humane Society International’s #BeCrueltyFreeInitiative, which wants to prohibit animal testing of cosmetics in all major global beauty markets by 2023.
This means that Avon will be supporting the recently launches Non-Anmial Cosmetic Safety Assessment Collaboration (NACSA), which aim to promote best practice safety assessments using non-animal approaches.
The Humane Society says, as well as the Latin American and Southeast Asian region, NASCA is also being used to put pressure on both cosmetic and personal care players and authorities in China, where animal testing is still required by law.
Aiming to end animal testing worldwide
Executives at Avon believe that by throwing their support behind the campaign, they are joining an ever-growing group of international beauty companies that want to see a swift end to the era of animal testing in the industry.
Avon has been a pioneer in the area of banning animal testing, having ended the practices 30 years ago, a move that has given them market leading expertise in the area of developing non-animal safety evaluations.
"We're confident that through collaborations with HSI and other committed partners we will accelerate the transition to alternative approaches to animal testing and result in a worldwide ban in the foreseeable future,” said Louise Scott, Chief Scientific Officer at Avon.
“It's a future that we at Avon are committed to and that millions of Avon Representatives and their customers around the world demand."
Colombia takes step towards outlawing animal testing
Last week we wrote about Colombia taking significant steps towards outlawing animal testing in the country by passing the first stage of a bill in the house of representatives, a campaign that is also backed by HSI.
The bill is now expected to be transferred to the senate, where it will be debated by the members, the final stage in its passage before it is made law.
Chile is also debating a similar bill which the government is currently debating. Last year a poll found that 78% of Chilean people opposed the use of animal testing on cosmetic and personal care products.