
Big businesses jump on the vegan bandwagon
Just look at the supermarket giants that are peddling out vegan-friendly products this year. From Marks & Spencer’s vegan range to frozen foods pioneer Bird’s eye, who have released a range of “veggie” bowls that are also, you guessed it, – vegan. Hell, even Tesco, a supermarket chain once demonised for its culpability in the horsemeat scandal, is also releasing a vegan range. It’s ‘Wicked Kitchen’ range is set to hit around 600 stores across the UK this year. But the ‘vegan economy’ is no random flash-in-the-pan movement, it’s something that’s been gathering momentum for a number of years:Veganism is bankable
According to market researchers, Mintel, the UK market for vegan food was worth an estimated £572m in 2017, this was up from £539m in 2015. But how are things looking on the consumer side? Well, this is no top-down implementation of a vegan agenda, in fact, these food brands are responding to heavy consumer demand. Mintel’s research states that up to 56% of UK adults have eaten vegetarian foods in the six months to July 2018, this is a substantial increase from the 50% who had eaten these foods in the six months to March 2017. Veganism has also been particularly embraced by young people, where Mintel discovered that 41% of vegans were aged 15-34 in 2016, according to the Vegan Society. All this considered, it’s no surprise that the vegan economy is an increasingly lucrative industry for entrepreneurs to enter, as well as a moral choice for others.Beyond activism: The businesses that show why veganism makes commercial sense
Food
One Planet Pizza: The pulling power of aligned brand values

“The cardboard we use for our pizza boxes is made from 45% recycled material and is 100% compostable. Both our boxes and their sleeves are carbon neutral. Even the pizzas themselves have a carbon footprint of around 45% compared to the average non-vegan pizza.” – Mike Hill, One Planet PizzaNow available in over 300 Independent health stores across the UK, and with their sights set on European expansion, 2019 looks set to be another year of impressive growth for the company.
Funding based on company values:
“One Planet Pizza is funded by a combination of personal investment from the vegan management team and crowdfunding by the vegan, veggie and veggie-curious community. 20% of the company’s equity was crowdfunded in October 2016, with over 140 individuals investing between £16 and £3,000. We have investors from around Europe and even as far as Australia! As far as we know, we are the first vegan company to have crowdfunded in Europe, and possibly the world!” – Mike Hill
Clothing
Viva La Vegan: An ethical mission that is realistic

“Whilst we want to be as eco and ethically sound as possible, our supply chain is not perfect. But we are trying, and are always looking for new products, sources, procedures and materials that further us in our mission. This is a journey…” – Jay Charlton, Viva La VeganViva La Vegan has since its foundation in 2014, been recognised for its contribution to the ethically sourced industry in the UK, and won best vegan fashion brand of the year at the 2017 VegFest UK awards.
Beauty
Bulldog: The SME upscaler giving veganism mass appeal

“We’ve never used ingredients from animal sources and are certified by Cruelty Free International. All our products are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. We have never used plastic microbeads, synthetic fragrances or artificial colours.” – BulldogSince its launch, Bulldog has expanded overseas, taking it’s ‘simplicity wins’ formula to markets across East-Asia. To date, the products are available in 27 countries around the world. In 2018 alone, they launched their products in 13 new markets, including Hong Kong and skin-care mega-market, South Korea. What the long-term growth success of Bulldog shows is that ‘vegan brands’ don’t have to be obvious, nor militantly vegan in the way their market and sell their products. Businesses don’t have to pigeon-hole themselves as a brand that ‘just sells to vegans’. Instead, if they make it a policy that their goods are ‘cruelty-free’ they can mass-market their appeal to consumers, veg-chomping and not.
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