Project 1882 is mobilizing against animal testing
Every year, hundreds of thousands of animals are used in animal testing in Sweden. Many of these tests are painful and cause significant suffering. EU legislation requires member states to phase out animal testing as soon scientifically possible, and Sweden can do much to take steps in the right direction in this transition. However, current government policies risk taking the development in the opposite direction.
April 24th is World Day for Laboratory Animals – a day dedicated to all the animals that suffer and die through painful animal testing. Project 1882 has summarized what is happening in Sweden and at the EU level, how we advocate on current issues, and what our goals are.
Restored funding for the 3R Center
Sweden's 3R Center, established in 2017, serves as a hub for knowledge aimed at replacing, reducing, and refining the use of animal testing. Originally allocated a budget of 15 million SEK annually, the centre’s earmarked money was removed from the government's budget in 2023. As a result, nine of its twelve employees were laid off.
Project 1882 has worked intensively to restore the funding for the centre. In less than two months, nearly 28,000 people signed our petition demanding its reinstatement. To increase the pressure on the politicians, a review of the parties' budget proposals was conducted last autumn. In the government's budget proposal, no funds had been earmarked for Sweden's 3R Center, just like the year before. The opposition parties' budget motions, those who did not support the government's budget proposal, included investments in the 3R Center. The Social Democrats proposed maintaining the previous funding level of 15 million SEK, the Green Party raised the amount to 20 million SEK, and the Left Party went even further, proposing a full 40 million SEK. The Center Party, however, allocated no funds in its budget motion, despite previously stating to Project 1882 that the centre’s funding should at least return to its previous level.
The funding cuts are a serious betrayal − not only of laboratory animals but also of the Swedish public, who want to see a transition to animal-free research as soon as possible.
Improved ethical review of animal experiments
Before an animal experiment can be conducted in Sweden, it must be approved by an ethical review committee. Today, it is regulated by law that there must be at least six regional ethical committees for this purpose. For economic reasons, the Swedish Board of Agriculture has proposed giving the government the power to decide how many committees there should be.
Project 1882 has for a long time pointed out that the review process in the ethical committees for animal experiments has significant shortcomings and needs improvement. Several research reports confirm this assessment. Despite this, almost all projects involving animal experiments in Sweden continue to receive approval. Projects that are poorly designed, that do not account for alternative methods, or that are based on methods known to be unreliable, continue to be approved. To avoid having to pay review fees for multiple applications, researchers often submit extensive and complex applications. The committees, already struggling to conduct the reviews as intended, are now at risk of being further weakened by the proposed changes.
− Animals subjected to animal testing may be forced to live their entire lives in pain and illness, before dying from the tests or being euthanized when the tests are completed. The least we can demand for all these animals is a legally secure review process, says Benny Andersson, CEO of Project 1882.
This spring, Project 1882 submitted a consultation response to the Swedish government on this matter.
No animal testing for cosmetics
In the EU, it is forbidden to test finished cosmetic products or their ingredients on animals, as well as to market any such products if they have been tested on animals. This ban, established under the Cosmetics Regulation that came into force in 2013, applies not only to makeup but also includes hygiene products, such as soap and toothpaste.
Despite the ban, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) continues to request new animal tests for hundreds of commonly used cosmetic ingredients that has a long history of safe use. As a result, thousands of animals continue to suffer and die to test the safety of cosmetic ingredients. The problem lies in the current interpretation of the Cosmetics Regulation. While it prohibits animal testing be done to meet the safety requirements specified in that regulation, this narrow interpretation allows animal testing on cosmetic ingredients to continue under other legal frameworks, such as the chemical legislation. This was never the intention, of either the EU citizens' nor from the European Parliament. The purpose of the Cosmetics Regulation was, and still is, that no animal testing should be done for cosmetics. The different regulations need to be changed and synchronized to achieve this goal.
− The ban on animal testing needs to be extended to cover all purposes of the tests; not just to meet the requirements in the Cosmetics Regulation. Citizens' expectations are very clear here, and I hope the European Commission addresses this as soon as possible, says Benny Andersson.
Project 1882 has submitted comments urging the European Commission to review and revise the legislation to ensure that it works as intended, and as citizens expect: that no animal testing is conducted for cosmetics.
Safe chemicals without animal testing
In the EU Commission's response to the successful European Citizens' Initiative "Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics – Stand Up for a Europe Without Animal Testing," the Commission commitment to include the development of a roadmap to phase out animal testing in chemical safety assessments.
Project 1882 supports the initiative and views the roadmap as a crucial step to accelerate the transition to a new regulatory system without animal testing. When the Commission invited public input in October 2024, Project 1882 submitted its proposals for a well-functioning roadmap as well as emphasized the need to take immediate actions to maximize the use of non-animal-based methods and minimize the use of animal testing within the existing framework. Additional comments on the same theme were submitted to the Commission in January 2025.
Project 1882 will continue to follow the process and urges the government to wholeheartedly support a progressive plan to phase out animal testing in chemical safety assessments.
− Project 1882 has been fighting for a world free from painful animal experiments since its founding in 1882, and we will continue to mobilize for animal-free research until we get there, concludes Benny Andersson.
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