Coconut harvest by slave monkeys

Recently, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) published photos of monkeys forced to collect coconuts in Asia, more specifically in Thailand.

What is the problem ?

It is estimated that several farms breed or capture baby monkeys to train them to collect up to 1,000 coconuts per day.
It even appears that "monkey schools" have been set up to train small macaques to collect fruit without eating it, ride bicycles or play basketball in order to entertain tourists.

PETA also added that these monkeys are either chained to trees and tires or put in cages so small that they can't even turn around. Certainly this lifestyle is not suitable for animals who should be free to run and jump in the wild.

Most of these farms are the largest suppliers of coconuts to several large European and American companies.

What have we done ?

Balade en Provence follows a strict policy on vegan and cruelty-free components.
All of our solid beauty bars are made with ingredients certified vegan and cruelty-free by the Vegan Society. The Vegan Society is the leading certification for vegan products in Europe. In other words, we do not use any ingredients tested on animals. In accordance with European regulations, none of our products have been, are or will ever be tested on animals.

We have recently been audited by the Vegan Society and have been able to demonstrate that no monkeys or animals have been exploited for our coconut oil.

We take this policy very seriously and believe all businesses should do and believe the same.

What can you do ?

The issue of animal abuse, such as the case of macaques, is unfortunately more common than we think.

As a company, we ensure that the ingredients used for our solid cosmetic bars are vegan and cruelty-free. However, everyone can help put an end to these abuses:
First by obtaining more information from official sources, such as PETA, to better understand the situation.
Then, by checking the ethics of certain brands before purchasing their products. For example, if a company is transparent and honorable about its ethics, this can be easily verified. However, if a company seems suspicious about this, it is best to avoid it.
Finally, by joining and supporting certain associations and carrying out actions to reduce or prevent these situations through petitions or donations.

Everyone has a voice they can make heard. Any action, no matter how small, can have an impact.