Ethics Trading Blog

It says it is on the box of laundry bleach I have in stock here, the vegan society mark is there, but this article in the Daily Mail from August 2007 casts some doubt on that.

Full Article.

the Vegan Society is to refuse permission for its trademark to be used when the endorsement comes up for renewal later this month.

The move follows a tip-off that Ecover uses the water fleas - between 0.2mm and 5mm long - to test the effects of detergents on aquatic life.

According to Ecover, the microscopic crustacean - scientific name Daphnia - found in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, isn’t actually an animal.

Certainly it’s not covered by EU animal-testing rules which are limited to vertebrates past a specified embryonic stage.

But the Vegan Society members consider water fleas - named for their jumping style of swimming - as “part of the animal kingdom”.

But that was August 2007 and the Vegan mark is still on the bleach I have here. So, I offer you the information, I will remove the “suitable for Vegan’s” from the Ecover bleach page here and then I leave the choice up to you. I will continue to use Ecover products in my home but I’m not Vegan. I do still firmly believe that Ecover are the best partner for soap nuts and the best in the Ethical business world. Their standards are higher than most. I do, however, appreciate the Vegan Society’s position too. Ethics Trading will continue to stock Ecover products for the foreseeable future.

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