The European Union (EU) is firmly committed to phasing out animal testing at the earliest opportunity. This policy goal recognises the need to protect animals as sentient beings; it is not only an ethical imperative but also an opportunity for industrial competitiveness. Replacing animal testing, however, has proven to be challenging and overall progress is too slow (see Figure 1). Between 2015-2023, over 15 million animals have been used for testing for regulatory purposes in the EU, with almost 40% of them for chemical safety assessments.
In 2023, in response to the European citizens’ initiative ‘Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics – Commit to a Europe Without Animal Testing,’ the Commission pledged to develop a comprehensive roadmap towards phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessments. Chemical safety assessments are used by companies to prove that their products, such as industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biocidal or plant protection products are safe when they place them on the market. Such assessments involve scientific (eco)toxicological tests for different effects, and they are mainly animal tests. With new technologies, developed in recent decades or still under development, it will be possible to continue contributing to the phasing out of animal testing. Non-animal approaches have the potential to be more cost-efficient and faster, thus increasing competitiveness and shortening the time to market. Further development of non-animal approaches is also necessary to boost the innovation strength of industries for which a ban on animal testing is in place, like the cosmetics sector. In addition, the general public demands products that have been developed responsibly, without causing suffering to animals.
The Commission roadmap, published on 1 June 2026, provides the strategic framework to accelerate the replacement, reduction and refinement of animal testing across EU legislation for chemical safety.
ECHA(The European Chemicals Agency) is committed to the objectives of the roadmap and the transition from traditional testing methods to innovative non-animal approaches.
The Agency, to support the implementation of the roadmap, is establishing a Collaborative Platform on Alternatives to Animal Testing. The platform will focus on the development and regulatory update of non-animal approaches in chemical safety assessments, including aspects related to validation, standardization and regulatory use.
It will bring together regulators, industry, academia and civil society to exchange knowledge and enhance their mutual understanding on the efficient regulatory use of animal-free test methods. The platform members will also discuss and address existing scientific and technical challenges. The first meeting of the platform will take place in Helsinki on 11-12 June 2026.
