People buy cruelty free products for several reasons, perhaps their ethics, because they believe that will be more gentle on the skin, or simply karma. Not all of the people choosing cruelty free products make the connection between animal research and the environment, however there are environmental advantages to choosing something that is PETA approved, Leaping Bunny Certified or with another Cruelty Free certification.

Cruelty Free products tend to be eco friendly. This is largely due to their ingredients; since most cruelty free products tend to be natural or have fewer chemicals there are less toxins contained in the products that are then released into the atmosphere.

The laboratories themselves that carry out the animal tests will create a large amount of waste, from the animal excrement, the run off from the tests, and in many cases the animals can be discarded after the testing and waste in the form of an animals’ carcass is also discarded. If the animal was exposed to toxicity or perhaps died as a result of the testing, the chemicals in the body are also released. One lab could create as much as 12 tonnes of waste a year.

The regulatory organisations that monitor factories and laboratories have lower restrictions on companies that are performing an act of public safety. Since it can be argued that animal testing is done to ensure that chemicals are safe for humans, this could qualify labs for more lax regulations.

The Cruelty Free label can avoid a lot of environmental waste and save animals.