Ask your Nevada Assembly member to support cruelty-free cleaning
Nevada has taken a big step towards becoming the first U.S. state to clean up cruelty in household cleaning products as SB 167 passed the Senate by 17 votes to 4.
We have worked with Senator Melanie Scheible on the bill which helps to ensure animals are not used in outdated and unnecessary tests when valid non-animal methods are available for ensuring the safety of household cleaning products sold in Nevada.
In her testimony before the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, our Head of Public Affairs for North America, Monica Engebretson, explained, “It may be commonly assumed that once a non-animal alternative test is available, the animal tests no longer occur, or at least rarely. The reality is that such animal tests can persist and even increase long after the adoption of suitable alternative methods. For example, Cruelty Free International has created a list of regulatory animal tests that are still conducted despite the availability of valid non-animal test methods. Some of these tests may be used in the testing of ingredients used in household cleaners. Such animal tests are long overdue for replacement.
Animal tests may persist due to uncertainty or confusion about the acceptability of non-animal approaches, or because manufacturers may believe that animal tests will lead to faster approval. It can also be easier and more comfortable to stick with traditional practices. However, these obstacles are not insurmountable and do not justify the continued use of animals. SB 167 sends a message and provides additional incentive for manufactures to utilize non-animal methods at every opportunity.”
If passed, Nevada residents and retailers will still have access to safe and effective cleaning products. Like the cruelty-free cosmetics bills passed in Nevada and other states, the restrictions on animal testing for household cleaning products would apply to new animal testing. As a result, cleaning products currently on the shelves would remain even if animal tests were conducted in the past. Any new safety testing for household cleaning products offered for sale in the state would require the use of available non-animal test methods where such methods are accepted for use by regulators, with exemptions for certain scenarios.
The bill now moves to the Nevada Assembly where it must pass another committee and the full Assembly before being sent to the Governor for consideration.
If you live in Nevada, you can help by writing to your State Assemblymember and asking them to support Bill SB 167. Find your Nevada State Assembly member here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Assembly/