Senators in Hawaii have announced the introduction of two new bills which would help end animal tests in the state.
Anti-animal testing organization Cruelty Free Internation backs both bills, describing tests as ‘cruel and unnecessary’.
Tested
The Hawaii Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act would ban the sale of any cosmetic product that has been tested on animals.
If passed, the ban would come into effect in January 2020, with Hawaii joining more than 30 countries (including the European Union, India, and Norway) in prohibiting the sale of new animal tested cosmetics.
Alternatives
A second bill would make it compulsory for manufacturers and laboratories in the state to use scientifically approved non-animal alternatives for cosmetics or household product testing.
California, New York and New Jersey have all had similar laws in place for more than 10 years.
Strides
Monica Engebretson, North America Campaign Manager for Cruelty Free International, said: “In the past 30 years, there have been great strides in the development and use of modern non-animal testing approaches that are often faster and better at predicting human response than the animal tests they replace.
“Moreover, the public overwhelmingly strongly supports alternatives to animal testing and countries around are increasingly prohibiting the sale cosmetics that have been tested on animals.”