Vegan News – March 18
March has been a super eventful month for the vegan community. With more brands appreciating the rise of ethical consumers, animal-friendly initiatives continue to rise. It’s important that these brands see vegan as more than a list of ingredients. We care about ethics and values too. Sticking ‘suitable for vegans’ on a product isn’t a quick fix marketing ploy, it’s a thoughtful decision made to set an inclusive atmosphere (like Virgin Trains below making eating on the go easier) and an intentional move towards a kinder or more eco-friendly future.
Versace Cuts Fur
Donatella Versace told the world of fashion that she no longer wanted to kill animals to make fashion and plans to cut animal-fur from the label. No word on leather, wool or silk also being excluded – perhaps someone needs to explain to Versace where these materials come from.
Regardless, this is a step in the direction as Versace joins a growing list of labels looking to exclude fur. Armani, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss and Ralph Lauren have already ditched fur from their collections. It’s great to see that fur is seen more as cruel than luxurious these days.
Superdrug’s Little Vegan Pop-Up Shop
Superdrug, well known for their affordable and accessible vegan cosmetics and skincare, have opened an exclusively vegan pop-up in Boxpark Shoreditch. In the middle of London’s Hipster Heaven, this shop has been wonderfully successful. Open for only 3 months, be sure to pop down and use the hashtag #LittleVeganPopUp to let Superdrug know how much you love it. It’s likely they’re testing the water with some bigger ideas in the work, so let’s show them how great this shop is!
Garnier ‘Goes Vegan’ Despite Animal Testing Concerns
This month, Garnier began promoting their new hair care range as vegan. This has been met with confusion and anger from the vegan community. Whilst their new formula is free from animal products, they remain firmly on PETA’s ‘This company does test on animals’ list. It’s frustrating to see the L’Oreal brand get away with misleading consumers by calling their products vegan, giving the impression of a kinder option.
Check out my latest post Fight Back! – Garnier is NOT Vegan to find out what to write to the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) to try and get this fixed.
Virgin Trains Launch Vegan Breakfast
Gone are the days of ordering a black coffee and a packet of crisps to try and satisfy hunger whilst travelling. Vegans rejoiced as Virgin Trains announced the launch of their hot vegan breakfast. This is served in a compact pot containing mushrooms, spinach, baked beans and hash browns for a reasonably modest £3.90.
Even better, when challenged on social media why they had used a photo of this breakfast a dairy yogurt to advertise their new option, their response was totally on point:
The hot pot isn’t just for vegans, we’d encourage yogurt eaters to try it too because it’s delicious!
What do you think?
It’s great to see so many big brands work hard to appeal to a vegan audience. Should we be celebrating a vegan formula from a L’Oreal brand or are we right to protect ‘vegan’ from promoting a company that allows animal testing to happen? Let me know in the comments below.
Other Posts
Check out some of my other posts:
- Krakow: Vegan Travel Guide
- allplants Review – Healthy Vegan Freezer Meals
- ASOS Makeup (Vegan + Cruelty Free!)