Celebrating Money Month: A Guide to Ethical Spending and Investing Against Animal Testing
This Money Month (August 2023), we're focusing on how you can make an impact with your money to help end animal testing. By making informed decisions, you can directly contribute to a cruelty-free future.
Understanding the Issue
The animal experimentation industry is a global multi-billion-dollar industry.
According to Research and Markets, the global animal testing market was valued at over 10 billion USD (~ 16 billion NZD) in 2019 and continues to grow.1
The good news is that there are many ways that caring Kiwis can prevent their hard-earned cash from being spent on cruel and unnecessary animal tests. This is an incredibly effective way of cutting animal testing off directly at the source!
Research and Education
A critical first step is educating yourself about which companies are committed to cruelty-free practices and which are not. You can use our Cruelty Free Guide to find out which companies have met our strict cruelty-free criteria and have been given our tick of approval for being 100% free from animal testing!
For a list of companies to avoid (the ones sadly still testing on animals), you can visit the PETA Beauty Without Bunnies list.
You can take this a step further and learn about the scale of animal use for research into the animal agriculture industry in NZ. Going vegan and actively choosing not to spend money on animal products is the best way to eliminate the need for experiments involving cows, sheep, pigs, fish, and other animals used for farming.
Investing Consciously
According to Mindful Money, New Zealanders financially support foreign companies that test on animals through our investments. In fact, we invest a whopping $4 billion in those companies - $2.5 billion through our KiwiSaver funds alone.
So, ensuring that your KiwiSaver isn’t being invested in animal testing can have a huge impact!
You can easily check what your KiwiSaver is invested in via the Mindful Money website.
Our favourite KiwiSaver plan is Pathfinder (due to their strict animal testing policy), and it's easy to make the switch to Pathfinder. Find out more here.
Shopping with Purpose
As consumers, we hold significant power through our purchasing choices. By only buying cosmetics and household products that are genuinely cruelty-free, you can actively ensure that you aren’t giving money to companies that test on animals! You can use our Cruelty Free Guide to check for brands that are safe to support.
Be Mindful When Donating to Health Charities
When donating to a health charity, i.e., a charity that works to help people affected by cancer, make sure that your donation isn’t going to be spent on animal testing or research. You can do this by simply sending the charity an email asking for confirmation that your donation won’t be spent on animal experiments!
Spreading Awareness
Our individual choices can have a collective impact when we share our knowledge. Use your voice to raise awareness among your circles. By informing friends and whānau about cruelty-free brands, ethical KiwiSaver investments, and the importance of conscious spending, you can inspire others to make compassionate choices.
Join Our Animal Defenders Squad
One of the best ways to financially support an end to animal testing is by becoming a member of our Animal Defender's Squad. The members of this group make a regular donation, enabling us to work with long-term thinking in mind and plan the most effective campaigns possible for animals suffering in labs. Join the Animal Defender's Squad team today!
This Money Month let's celebrate our ability to effect positive change through ethical spending and investing. By aligning our monetary choices with our values, we can collectively work toward a future where animals are treated with compassion and respect. Remember, every purchase and investment decision can be a step towards a brighter, cruelty-free world!
