The European Parliament has confirmed a new ban on animal testing for detergents in Europe, after voting on changes to the EU Detergents Regulation. 

Amendments to Regulation (EC) No 648/2004  will  forbid the use of animal testing, to meet the requirements of this Regulation, when producing detergents for household and industrial use. These changes reflect the efforts of animal protection organisations, including ourselves, to prevent new tests on animals for the purpose of developing new detergents. 

The amendments include the closure of avenues that could otherwise allow new tests on animals for assessing new technologies or newly-identified risks. This ensures that the development, innovation and regulation of new detergents can happen without resorting to cruel tests on animals. 

This is  the first  animal testing  ban  in EU legislation since the  2013 ban on animal testing for cosmetics. The new rules will apply three and a half years  after formal adoption, in July 2029. 

We  believe  the legislation is an early demonstration  of  the European Commission’s  on going  commitment to phase-out animal testing in all chemical safety tests, in line with the roadmap which is due to be published in the first  quarter of this year. 

Potential  changes  to Europe’s main chemicals legislation, REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), have raised concerns that animal testing may increase in the EU, against the wishes of MEPs and European citizens. It is now hoped that the  new  animal testing  ban  for detergents, alongside recent changes to the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation and through the One Substance One Assessment (OSOA) guidelines, is helping to build a strong set of laws which support the modernisation of the EU’s chemicals regulations. This shift should help to deliver the phase-out of animal testing and create greater opportunities for similar progress in all chemicals’ regulation. 

We have long called for alignment across all sectors in laws to end animal testing, and hope that these changes reinforce the need for cross-industry co-operation and clarity. 

In 2023, the European Commission promised to develop a  roadmap to phase-out animal testing for chemical safety assessments, in response to our 2020 European Citizens’ Initiative, ‘Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics – Commit to a Europe Without Animal Testing’, which was signed by over 1.2 million EU citizens. 

We hope that the ban on animal testing for detergents is the first of many actions that will be taken to achieve the goals of the roadmap. 

The MEP who led negotiations on the Detergents file on behalf of the European Parliament, Majdouline Sbaï (Greens/EFA), said: "Detergents are part of our daily lives. The revision of the two-decade-old regulation was absolutely necessary in order to improve consumer information, protect workers and reduce the harmful impact on our health, our  ecosystems and animals. This is why  I've  pushed for a general ban of animal testing as one of our key priorities during negotiations. The revision has been definitely adopted today, with this general ban. A victory for animal welfare we are very proud of as Ecologists."  

Our Director of Science and Regulatory Affairs, Dr Emma Grange, said: “Today’s formal adoption of the new Detergents Regulation marks a historic milestone for animal protection in Europe. For the first time, EU legislation directed at industrial and household chemicals  will  include a clear and dedicated ban on animal testing for detergents. This moment is the latest evidence of the growing cross-party recognition that the future of regulatory science in the EU can be free from animal suffering.  

 
“While there is still more to do to ensure all EU chemicals rules move consistently toward a future without animal testing, this decision shows that the political and institutional will of the EU is ready to catch up with public opinion. We celebrate this step as a meaningful sign of momentum towards a truly cruelty-free Europe.”