new updated 2022 information sheet

I have updated my 2021 information sheet on the guidelines of cruelty-free and vegan-friendly (free of animal derivatives) art supplies.

Here it is:2022 Guidelines: cruelty-free and vegan-friendly art supplies, which I will be sending out to companies as of August 2022;  (and for comparison, my 2021 version here.)

My 2022 guidelines for cruelty-free and vegan-friendly art supplies:

‘vegan-friendly’ products / products free of animal derivatives:

the product does not contain any kind of ingredients of an animal
based source; no animal derivatives, – byproducts or raw materials
no animal derived material is used during the manufacturing process;
examples of animal derived material used in production:
– animal derived fats and oils in surfactants for the  dispersion of pigments
– fats and oils of an animal source used to shape the tip on brushes
all integral parts of the finished product are free of animal derivatives;
examples:
– not just the ink in a pen, but the nib/ tip and the body of the pen
– not only the lead of a pen, but the wooden body/ casing as well as the treatment /lacquer/ varnish on the wooden casing
– the laquer or foil on a wood-free pencil
– the tube, jar or pan that contains the paints
– not only the paper of a paper pad or sketchbook, but also back and cover
– adhesive/ glue used to bind paper pads and books; glue used in brushes
– canvas sizing
– dye used to colour the bristles of brushes

 

being a cruelty-free company

concerning animal testing:

• the company does not test on animals nor commissions any other parties to do so
• raw- material suppliers do not test on animals nor commission other parties to do so
• no material data collected through animal testing*, done or commissioned by other parties such as parent- / sister – and affiliate
companies, other partners or raw material suppliers, is used for the
MSDS (material safety data sheets)
• no MSDS (material safety data sheets) provided by other parties, including raw material suppliers – for which material information was
obtained through animal testing*- are used
• no animal testing done/commissioned abroad in order for products to be sold abroad; this applies to the company and company’s
distributors.

* animal testing in recent time; not data collected through animal testing of
the past; meaning over thirty years ago

concerning the use of mica :

if mica is used by the company, it is either of synthetic origin or was
ethically sourced, meaning no child labour and no inhumane working conditions

Note: a company that sells goods, for which animals are kept in inhumane living conditions and are solely bred for being harvested /slaughter**, can only be
classified as- if they are so – being free of animal testing, concerning products
and raw materials not being tested on animals.
** examples: leather/fur goods or brushes

everything of animal origin /
everything that is part of the animal and its anatomy,
everything what the animal produces,
is not considered ‘vegan-friendly’ / free of animal derivatives

definition of the term “animal”:
• all vertebrates:
› fish
› amphibians
› reptiles
› birds
› mammals
• all invertebrates:
e.g. insects, spiders, mollusc
(e.g. snail, sepia, mussel),
corals, sponges, crustaceans

examples of animal derived material:
• beeswax, honey
• charred bones, bone ash, bone flour, pigment PBk9
• bone charcoal
• casein / milk derivatives
• gelatin
• squalene
• sepia
• silk
• tallow
• animal derived oils/ fats/ wax
• lanolin / wool fat
• ox gall/ox bile
• cochineal
• leather / skin of animals
• rabbit skin (as in rabbit skin glue)
• animal fur, hair ***
• animal teeth
• feathers
• shellac
• sponge
• pearl
• mother of pearl
• rennet • egg
• anything derived from the animal anatomy, e.g. organs or body parts

***natural hair and bristles examples : sable, marten, ermine, weasel, polecat, squirrel,
mongoose, wolf, badger, goat, horse, bear, pig, wild boar, ox, cattle

 

The German version of the 2022 guidelines will follow in the next days;

Definition update: what’s cruelty-free and vegan-friendly to me

Here is an update of my definition for cruelty-free companies and vegan-friendly art supplies:

  • A product can be considered vegan-friendly, if the entire product itself does not contain animal ingredients, byproducts/ derivatives and none of those are used in the manufacturing process, g. the use of animal derived oils and fats in surfactants for the dispersion of pigments and animal oils and fats are not used to form the tips of brushes; kieselguhr/diatomite is not used for filtration.
  • For a vegan-friendly product, the “entire product” has to be free of any animal derived ingredients; This includes all that contains the art supply, e.g. pans, paint tubes, the body and nibs of a marker, a pencil’s wooden body as well as lacquer, adhesive used for binding of paper pads, books, brushes and envelopes.
  • The manufacturer does not test on animals or commissions other parties to do so and do not use material data collected through animal testing done or commissioned by others such as parent-/ sister-/ affiliate companies, other partners as well as suppliers.
  • (Raw) Material used in the products and the production process may not be tested on animals by the company’s (raw) material suppliers and sub-suppliers, nor be commissioned by those.
  • There is no animal testing done/commissioned abroad for products to be sold abroad. This applies to the company and the company’s distributors.

Everything which comes from an animal origin/source, everything what is part of the animal and its anatomy and what the animal produces (beeswax, honey, milk, eggs) is unsuitable for vegans.

 Definition of the term “animal”:

  • All Vertebrates:
    • Fish
    • Amphibians
    • Reptiles
    • Birds
    • Mammals
  • All Invertebrates, e.g. sea urchins, sponges, sea stars, jellyfish, squid, lobsters, crawfish, crabs, earthworms, spiders, snails, slugs, clams, insects, sea anemones, sea gooseberries, sea urchins, corals, …

Animal derived ingredients are e.g.:

  • Beeswax, Honey
  • Charred Bones, Bone Ash, Bone Flour, Pigment PBk9
  • Bone Charcoal
  • Casein
  • Gelatine
  • Squalene
  • Squid Ink, Sepia Ink, all ink from squids and cuttlefish
  • Sepia
  • Silk
  • Tallow
  • Animal Oils, Animal Fats, Animal derived Wax (used e.g. for dispersing pigments; shaping brush tips)
  • Ox Gall, Ox Bile
  • Gall and Bile
  • Cochineal
  • Rabbit skin, e.g. rabbit skin glue, animal skin
  • Any Kind of Glue made by animal parts
  • Shellac
  • Kieselguhr/Diatomite (used e.g. for filtrating inks)
  • Natural sponge
  • Natural animal derived Hair and Bristles, e.g. of sable, marten, squirrel, mongoose, horsehair, hair from animal snouts and ears (for example Ox), pig bristles

 

The criteria that apply to vegan-friendly art supplies apply also to vegetarian-friendly art supplies, with the exception that beeswax-, milk- and egg-derived ingredients may be part of the product itself and used in the manufacturing process.

For vegan-friendly art supplies, neither the product itself may contain animal-derived products nor may they be used in the production process.

A Cruelty-free company does not test on animals nor commissions others to do so and does not use data provided through animal testing by other facilities or affiliate companies. Not only the production of the product and the finished product must be free of animal testing but also the supply chain. The (raw) materials and chemicals used may not be tested on animals by the supplier nor may the supplier commission animal testing for the material.

Note: I am  aware that once (most) raw materials and chemicals were tested /had to be tested on animals (several decades ago)

PDF of my definition: definition_cruelty-free_vegan_veganartstuff_feb2018