We Are Leaping Bunny Certified! (as of 2018)

So what does that mean, exactly?

We take this very seriously, so we signed up and took the pledge with the LEAPING BUNNY ORGANIZATION (and yes, we paid to have this done and to be able to use the Leaping Bunny Logo, which most companies do not do - they just use it anyway, without taking the pledge and getting the certification!)

BASICALLY what this means is that we CERTIFY that we do not use animal testing for any of our products, nor do we source ingredients that are tested on animals (to the best of our knowledge), and also that all of our suppliers and manufacturers certify that they comply with these same corporate standards, listed below:

THE CORPORATE STANDARD OF COMPASSION FOR ANIMALS ("THE STANDARD")

This is the Standard by which companies are certified that apply for Leaping Bunny certification, published in its entirety. 

CRITERIA FOR NON-ANIMAL TESTED COSMETIC AND HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS

Words and phrases described in the Standard appear in bold and have a corresponding definition located in the Definitions section below.

To achieve approval for its own-label Cosmetic and/or Household Products, a Company must comply with the following criteria:

1. The Company does not and shall not conduct, Commission, or be a party to Animal Testing of any Cosmetic and/or Household Products including, without limitation, formulations and Ingredients of such products.
2. The Company does not and shall not purchase any Ingredient, formulation, or product from any Third Party Manufacturer or Supplier that conducted, Commissioned, or had been party to Animal Testing on said Ingredient, formulation, or product after the Company's Fixed Cut-off Date. If a formulation, Ingredient, or product is found not to comply with the Standard, the Company will replace it with an alternative that complies with the Standard's criteria or remove it from the product range.
3.  
   1. The Company must implement a Supplier Monitoring System:

Option 1. A Company must obtain and provide to CCIC Declarations of Product Compliance and Declarations of Raw Material Compliance from each of its Third Party Manufacturers and Suppliers that said persons or entities comply with the provisions of the Standard with respect to the materials supplied to the Company. This information will be maintained on file at the Company's principal place of business as part of the Company's Supplier Monitoring System.

Option 2. Insert the following language into the Company's (and, if applicable, Third Party Manufacturer's) Purchase Orders for Ingredients, formulations and finished products. A sample Purchase Order must be submitted to the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) as proof of compliance. The language must read as follows:

"The supplier affirms by fulfilling this order that it does not conduct or commission animal testing of any cosmetics and/or household products, including without limitation, ingredients or formulations of such products, supplied to [relevant entity] after [Company's Fixed Cut-off Date]."

Note: Companies are not required to obtain Declarations of Raw Material Compliance from suppliers of Natural Agricultural Ingredients.

1. If the Company only distributes finished Cosmetics and/or Household Products, the Company shall require:

(1) the Third Party Manufacturer(s) of those products to sign, and submit a copy to the Company, the Declarations of Product Compliance confirming that they did not and shall not conduct or Commission Animal Testing on said Ingredient, formulation, or product, and further, that the Third Party Manufacturer did not and shall not purchase any Ingredient, formulation, or product from Suppliers that conducted or Commissioned Animal Testing on said Ingredient, formulation, or product after the Company's Fixed Cut-off Date; and

(2) the Third Party Manufacturer(s) of those products to obtain and maintain on file the signed Declarations of Raw Material Compliance, which certifies that their Supplier(s) and intermediary agent(s) comply with the Standard.

1. The Company shall not allow Animal Testing to be performed by or for submission to regulatory agencies in foreign countries. The Company shall include language as an addendum to its contracts with any Distributor(s) selling the company's products for entry into foreign markets (any country other than United States and Canada). A sample contract addendum must be submitted to the CCIC as proof of compliance. The language must read as follows:

"The Distributor affirms that it will not conduct, commission, or be a party to animal testing nor allow animal testing to be performed by or for submission to regulatory agencies in order to distribute [Company's] products in foreign markets.

1. The Company shall submit the Application for Approval to the CCIC and retain a copy of this document at the Company's principal place of business.
2. The Company shall agree to the following:
   1. A. Recommit annually; and
   2. B. CCIC may require a Company's Supplier Monitoring System to be submitted to an Independent Audit.

(1) A company demonstrating less than $10 million in gross annual sales must agree to an independent audit commissioned by the CCIC with an accredited auditing firm.

(2) A company demonstrating $10 million or more in gross annual sales shall commission an independent audit with an accredited auditing firm provided by the CCIC. 

Definitions

ANIMAL TESTING

All testing of finished Cosmetics and/or Household Products, or any one or more Ingredients or formulations used in manufacturing or production of such products in which whole non-human animals are the test subjects, including without limitation, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and non-human mammals. Animal Testing excludes in vitro tests or tests conducted completely with human volunteers.

The prohibition against Animal Testing contained in the Standard does not apply to the purchase of animal-tested Ingredients if: (a) the ingredient was tested to meet explicit statutory or regulatory requirements for animal testing; AND (b) the testing was not conducted to assess safety, efficacy, or environmental effects of Cosmetics and/or Household Products.

COALITION

The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) and The European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE). 

COMMISSION

Where a Company requests a Third Party Manufacturer, Ingredient Supplier, other company in the group, or contract testing laboratory to conduct Animal Testing.

COMPANY

The person, corporation, partnership, or other legal organization that has separate existence and can function legally, including without limitation, its subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions, agents, and employees, involved in selling Cosmetic and/or Household Products under its own name. 

COSMETICS

Personal care products, including without limitation, products for the hair (e.g., shampoo, conditioner, coloring agents, depilatory agents), skin (e.g., soap, moisturizer, sunscreen, aftershave, antiperspirant, deodorant, talcum powder, bubble bath), mouth (e.g., toothpaste, mouthwash), nails (e.g., nail polish, polish remover), perfume, cologne, lipstick, eye shadow and liner, and rouge. Cosmetics also means personal care products marketed or regulated as over-the-counter drugs (e.g., toothpaste marketed with the claim of fighting cavities, mouthwash marketed with the claim of killing germs).

DECLARATION OF PRODUCT COMPLIANCE

Written confirmation obtained by a Company once a year from its Third Party Manufacturers and Suppliers that they have not be involved with Animal Testing for the product. The manufacturer will have gathered Declarations of Raw Material Compliance to substantiate this declaration. These documents form the Company's Supplier Monitoring System.

DECLARATION OF RAW MATERIAL COMPLIANCE

Written confirmation by a Supplier, obtained once a year, that the Supplier has not been involved with Animal Testing for specified Ingredients. These documents form the Company's Supplier Monitoring System.

DISTRIBUTOR

A distributor that manages the sale of products from a Company into foreign markets. A distributor does not include retailers that sell directly to foreign customers through their websites. 

FIXED CUT-OFF DATE

A date after which a Company, its Third Party Manufacturers, and/or Suppliers must not have conducted or commissioned Animal Testing for the Company's own-label products and/or Ingredients supplied for use in the Company's Cosmetic and/or Household Products.

A Fixed Cut-off Date must be fixed, and applied across the Company's entire Cosmetic and/or Household Products range, now and in the future.

GROSS ANNUAL SALES

Financial figure applied to a Company's own-label range of Cosmetic and/or Household Products.

HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS

As used in the Standard, Household Products means those products identified as household products in the Consumer Product Safety Commission Act, including without limitation, laundry and dish detergent, bleach, cleaners and cleansers, floor wax, furniture polish, and air fresheners. Household Products does not include paint and paint remover, varnish and other stains, chemical drain declogger, or insecticide.

INDEPENDENT AUDIT

An assessment of a Company's Supplier Monitoring System.

INGREDIENT

A single substance or mixture of substances, system, or compound, intended for use in Cosmetic and/or Household Products, as listed on the product label.

LOGO LICENSEE

Company that chooses to sign the Logo Licensing Application Form and purchase and/or acquire logo licensing rights to the Leaping Bunny Logo.

NATURAL AGRICULTURAL INGREDIENTS

Raw ingredients grown from the earth and supplied in this raw, unprocessed state. (For example, grown herbs and flowers. However, the definition does not include Ingredients such as essential oils, stabilizers, preservatives or other additives that are supplied by an Ingredient manufacturer.) Natural Agricultural Ingredients are excluded from needing a Declaration of Raw Material Compliance.

STANDARD

The Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals, which forms the criteria for CCIC approval.

SUPPLIER

Any manufacturer that supplies, directly, through an agent, or Third Party Manufacturer, any Ingredient or Ingredient mixture used in the formulation of a Company's own-label Cosmetic and/or Household Products. This includes the original manufacturer of the Ingredient.

SUPPLIER MONITORING SYSTEM

A system by which a Company monitors its Third Party Manufacturers and Suppliers at least once a year to ensure that they have not conducted or Commissioned Animal Testing. Suppliers to be monitored must include the original manufacturer of the Ingredient.

THIRD PARTY MANUFACTURER

A manufacturer that produces products on behalf of the Company seeking approval under the Standard.