Seventh Generation (Unilever)

Last Updated: January 6, 2022

How Ethical Is Seventh Generation (Unilever)?

Supporting companies that share the same values and ethics to what matters most to us is how we can drive positive change in this world. Here’s a quick summary of Seventh Generation’s ethics and initiatives.

Ethical Analysis

Is Seventh Generation cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Seventh Generation’s policies.
Seventh Generation is cruelty-free, but Seventh Generation is owned by Unilever, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
All of Seventh Generation products are 100% vegan and don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
Seventh Generation is a certified B Corporation. Their products are made with renewable and plant-based ingredients. And they claim their formulas are 100% biodegradable.

Additionally, Seventh Generation’s Supplier Code of Conduct ensures their suppliers manage their business and treat their employees in a way that’s responsible, ethical, and fair.

Also, Seventh Generation’s packaging is recyclable and/or made from recycled materials.
Seventh Generation’s products come in plastic packaging, some of which are recyclable or made from post-consumer recycled materials, as well as OceanBound plastic.

About Seventh Generation (Unilever)

Nurturing the health of the next seven generations, and beyond, Seventh Generation offers a wide selection of laundry detergent, all-purpose cleaners, and personal care products.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe
PRODUCTS: Bath & Body Care, Cleaning
CERTIFICATIONS: Leaping Bunny, Cruelty Free International, PETA-Certified

Seventh Generation (Unilever)

This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

You can find Seventh Generation cruelty-free products at Walmart, Target, CVS, Well.ca, and on Amazon.

Seventh Generation is *Cruelty-Free

Seventh Generation has confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf. Their suppliers also do not test on animals, nor do they allow their products to be tested on animals when required by law. And finally, their products are not sold in stores in mainland China or any other country that may require animal testing.

By our standards, we would consider Seventh Generation to be *Cruelty-Free.

*Seventh Generation is owned by Unilever, a corporation that is NOT cruelty-free because they allow some of their other brands to test on animals.

It’s your choice whether you want to support or boycott cruelty-free brands owned by a parent company that is not cruelty-free. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to this. I encourage you to do what you’re comfortable with, but I think it’s important to disclose that Unilever owns Seventh Generation.

Below is a screenshot of Seventh Generation’s official animal testing statement:

Seventh Generation Cruelty-Free Claims

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Seventh Generation has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

As of May 1, 2021, some imported ordinary cosmetics can be exempt from animal testing under certain conditions. However, for the most part, animal testing is still legally required for most imported cosmetics in 2022.

Cruelty-Free Policies

Note that there is no legal definition for the label ‘Cruelty-Free.’ It can mean different things to different people. But Cruelty-Free is generally used to imply no animal testing. More specifically, the ingredients, formulation, or finished product are not tested on animals at any stage of product development.

At ethical elephant, we always assess a company’s cruelty-free policy using our Cruelty-Free Checklist. This ensures no animal testing was performed by the brand itself, its suppliers, and by any third parties.

Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.

Seventh Generation is 100% Vegan

Seventh Generation has confirmed all of its products don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

However, it should be noted that Seventh Generation does not claim their products are “Vegan Certified,” in which their plant-based ingredients may have been grown with animal-based fertilizers.

The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Seventh Generation’s official website about its vegan products:

Seventh Generation Vegan Claims

I appreciate Seventh Generation’s commitment to being completely transparent with their customers by letting us know about their use of animal manure.

I also do believe this is a personal decision on whether you would consider plant-based foods and ingredients grown with animal manure to be “vegan” or not.

But I try my best to promote and inspire an ethical but practical lifestyle here on my blog. And for me, if I were to trace the source of all of my food and beauty products to see if they were grown with animal-based fertilizer or not would be unsustainable for me to continue being vegan.

Therefore, I feel comfortable supporting and buying from Seventh Generation since they don’t use animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

If you personally don’t feel comfortable supporting Seventh Generation because they use animal manure to grow their plant-based ingredients, then that’s cool too. I created this post to share the information provided to me; what you do with that information is totally up to you!

Where are Seventh Generation’s products made?

“We manufacture our products at co-packers who use our unique formulas, and meet our stringent quality control specifications. These facilities are primarily located in North America to minimize our carbon footprint caused by transportation. Some of our products are made in Canada, Mexico and in Europe.”


I hope this article helped you to understand Seventh Generation’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!

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