Monday 23 April 2012

Is the Bunny for real?


Cruelty free logos can be confusing, right? Especially when companies use ones that are different variations of the white rabbit, which is the official Leaping Bunny logo that not only certifies that a product was not tested on animals, but also that the ingredients were not tested on animals by that company or their suppliers.

The world famous Leaping Bunny logo was launched by a coalition of animal protection groups, including the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection to ensure that consumers could tell if products were cruelty free.

That’s why I felt it would be a good idea to look at the different white rabbit logos.

Note - If you buy a product with any of the leaping bunny symbols shown then they are cruelty free.

Tip - There are some products that are cruelty free that dont' carry the leaping bunny logo. This is because companies are charged to use it. This is to cover the cost of administering the scheme.

UK
UK (in this case, UK means Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland)


In the UK, the leaping bunny logo usually comes with ‘BUAV Approved’ but not always. Often if the product is also vegetarian it may also have ‘Vegetarian Society Approved.’ This means the product is suitable for vegetarians. 


This also has the 'Vegetarian Society Approved' logo

In the UK, the own brand products of Sainsburys, Superdrug and Marks and Spencer carry the Leaping Bunny logo.

USA & CANADA

In America, cruelty free products have the Leaping Bunny logo, but there is no ‘BUAV approved.’ This is because BUAV stands for British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection.’

AUSTRALIA
In Australia, they have their own  cruelty free bunny logo. This is not the same logo as the Leaping Bunny logo.
To read more about cruelty free products in Australia visit http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/

OTHER COUNTRIES
Most other countries who are certified cruelty free carry the same logo as the USA and Canada. That's the bunny without the 'BUAV Appoved.'

In Portugal, the same logo that's used on cruelty free products in the USA is used. Recently Protugese company Pronatural were awarded the accreditation.

Want to go cruelty free?
To find cruelty free, companies visit http://www.gocrueltyfree.org/consumer 

6 comments:

  1. very informative..thanks :)

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  2. Thanks, LediaJ. I'm glad it helped:)

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  3. If it doesn't have the Leaping Bunny or isn't on Choose Cruelty Free's List/doesn't have their bunny then I don't buy it...that simple. Though when first entering the cruelty free lifestyle it's hard to know which bunny means what, this is very helpful :)

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  4. Thanks Mandy. I find it confusing too as there are so many rip off bunnies:)

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  5. Hello. I work for the Leaping Bunny Program in the US and came across your blog post. I just would like to clarify that in fact the Leaping Bunny Program only operates in the US, Canada, and Europe, certifying companies whose headquarters are located in these places. We know of the Australian organization you list in your article, but at this time, it has no affiliation with Leaping Bunny. Their criteria may be different than ours. Thanks!

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  6. Thanks for your comment, KimP. I appreciate you taking the time and think you work for a wonderful organization.

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