Fixed cut-off date (animal testing)

Definition

A fixed cut-off date is the commitment device at the heart of the Leaping Bunny programme's Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals: a company declares a specific date after which neither it nor its suppliers or manufacturers conduct, commission or are party to animal testing for ingredients, formulations or finished products. The date is frozen — moving it forward to accommodate new tests would reset the commitment — which distinguishes the standard from policies that simply state a company 'does not test on animals except where required by law'. Compliance is maintained through a supplier monitoring system with declarations of compliance, openness to independent audit and annual recommitment. The concept is unrelated to a cut-off date in deforestation-free sourcing, which fixes the date after which land conversion renders a commodity non-compliant.