This is the third part of The truth: Does Avon really test on animals? If you haven’t read the second part, please do.
After reading Avon’s new message… should we consider Avon as cruelty-free?
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Avon Malta to me
14 Dec 2012
Hi fiona,
I would like to forward you this email seeing you are so involved and since you are posting things regards our company.
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Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 8:42 AM
Subject: Avon’s testing on animals
Dear Carla:
I send you the last communication from Avon Company.
There is no more I can say, and we can’t be exiting the Chinese market. Avon is proud to offer quality, affordable products as well as economic opportunity to thousands of women in China who serve as Sales Representatives.
Best Regards,
Marta
“Avon’s commitment not to test on animals is the same as it has been for over twenty years. Avon independently substantiates the safety of its products without any animal testing and the company’s entire global product safety program is built on the opposition to unnecessary animal testing and respect for animal welfare. Nothing has changed, and we continue to be in communication with PETA on the issue. We have always stated very clearly that Avon does not conduct animal testing “except where required by law.” Avon does business in over 100 countries, and a small handful of countries have laws that require animal testing.
http://www.avoncompany.com/corporatecitizenship/corporateresponsibility/whatwecareabout/productresponsibility/animaltesting.html
Avon is just one of a long list of global beauty companies that face the same issue. The only companies that do not are those which market their products in a limited number of countries. However, in every case, before complying with the law, Avon makes a good faith effort to persuade the requesting authority to accept non-animal test data and we are active in the movement to drive alternatives to animal testing worldwide.
To put this in perspective, Avon offers, approximately 9,000 products in over 100 countries, and in 2011 fewer than 0.3% of these thousands of Avon products were tested on animals as required by law (that is three tenths of one percent). Our goal is to get that number to zero. The only reason a small handful of products are tested on animals is because some governments have yet to accept the use of scientifically valid alternative approaches to safety assessment.
Avon shares with you and organizations such as PETA a common objective to persuade governments to accept scientifically valid alternative approaches to animal testing. Avon is working together with other global beauty companies to gain acceptance of alternatives to animal testing throughout the world.
It is important to note, as well, that Avon offers employment and economic opportunity to individuals around the world, with 6.5 million Sales Representatives earning money to support themselves and their families — and the vast majority of the Sales Representatives are women. This includes many in China for whom economic opportunity is very limited for many women.
Please see the attached document for more details.
Avon Customers can continue to use Avon products with confidence.”
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Sarah Zerafa
Marketing Manager
Avon Cosmetics Malta
