The year is over, a new one begins. While many people are still recovering from the eventful New Year’s Eve, others are already setting an example of change. From January 1, the time for excuses is over and the implementation of New Year’s resolutions can begin. These range from topics such as environmental protection, nutrition and health to stopping climate change. The “Veganuary” campaign shows that it is possible to tackle these issues at the same time and also stand up for animal welfare. We asked ourselves what is behind the trend, what goals can be achieved with it and how you can take part.
What does Veganuary mean?
In 2013, an English teacher from York in the UK had a dream: after seeing how animals were treated in industrial animal husbandry and slaughterhouses, she wanted to raise awareness of animal welfare around the world. Together with her husband Matthew Glover, Jane Land then developed an idea that she turned into reality the following year – the so-called Veganuary. Made up of the words “vegan” and “January”, it is a non-profit organization that encourages people around the world to eat vegan food in January and beyond.
"We want a vegan world"
But why go vegan in particular? For the founders of the Veganuary initiative, the focus was on ending animal suffering, as a purely plant-based diet avoids the consumption of animal products and thus reduces the demand for them. This also helps to reduce factory farming, which makes a significant contribution to environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and deforestation. This could bring Jane Land closer to her vision of a world in which forests destroyed by food production and polluted rivers and oceans no longer have a place. In addition, a well-planned and balanced vegan diet can improve human health, such as reducing the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The areas of responsibility of the initiative
Whether appealing to a large audience, winning over celebrities, raising awareness or supporting companies – the Veganuary movement has a lot planned and is not waiting to tackle these tasks.
Participants from all over the world
In 2023, the campaign inspired people for the tenth time to try out a vegan lifestyle in the first month of each year. Several million people are now taking part in Veganuary in 14 European countries, parts of Asia, Africa, North and South America and Australia.
Cooperation with companies
Throughout the year, the non-profit organization’s team supports both small and large, local and multinational companies in marketing their vegan products. Every year, more companies participate in Veganuary, offering new plant-based products to the market, creating vegan menu items for restaurants and using their advertising budgets to promote plant-based product lines more intensively. In 2023 alone, 1,610 new vegan items and menu options were introduced for Veganuary. The collaborations are intended to help shoppers have better access to vegan food. This should also make it easier for them to choose the animal-free option.
Create awareness
The campaign uses media work and marketing strategies to raise awareness of animal suffering in slaughterhouses and on farms. Many celebrities have now jumped on the bandwagon. They want to draw more attention to the topic of veganism with their commitment. Supporters of the initiative include actors such as Joaquin Phoenix and Alicia Silverstone, comedian Kaya Yanar, bodybuilder Ralf Moeller and music legends Paul McCartney and Brian May. This well-known support is very important for Veganuary, as it increases its reach and the number of participants.
A global movement
Veganuary has set itself the goal of helping people around the world to change their diet in order to live vegan and to introduce companies to the topic of plant-based products. The UK shows that this is possible in the long term: The number of people there following a purely plant-based diet has quadrupled over the years.
How can you take part?
If you are motivated and would like to try out the vegan month, you can find more information on the official website of the Veganuary organization. They offer to provide you with recipes and tips for 31 days to help you get started on a purely plant-based diet.