World Vegan Month: No, Veganism Is Not Just a Plant-Based Diet | Here’s What You Must Know

Greetings, vegans! The month of November is designated as World Vegan Month. Plant-based eaters from all around the world are coming together this month to celebrate their cruelty-free lifestyle. So, what precisely qualifies someone as a vegan? Veganism is a way of life that prohibits any and all forms of animal cruelty, whether for food, products, or any other reason.Also Read – Viral Video: Man Abuses Dog, Gets Hit by Cow; PETA Offers Rs 50,000 Reward For Information on Culprit

How can you celebrate Vegan Month?

• Get your pals together for a vegan dinner party.
• Organise a vegan lunch at your workplace or school.
• You can share your vegan recipes online.
• Participate in or organise a fun outreach event full of Vegan-friendly activities.
• Volunteer your time at an animal shelter.
• Host a vegan documentary film screening.

Veganism can be practised in a number of different ways. Here are a few ideas to get you started-

1. Vegan and cruelty-free labels: Also Read – World Vegan Day 2021: Everything You Need To Know About Vegan Diet, Explained | Watch Video

Keeping true to the traditional meaning of Vegan – any vegan beauty product means that it is completely plant-based and has no animal ingredients or any of their by-products like honey, beeswax, dairy product, etc. Similarly, cruelty-free as a label means that the ingredients or the final product did not test on animals or harm any animals during the production process. One way to test the authenticity is to check if these products are legally certified by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), or verified by Vegan organisations as The Vegan Society and others. Cruelty-free and vegan products are also generally categorized by having cleaner and gentler formulas as they are mostly deprived of harsh chemicals and solvents. Also Read – 5 Nutrition And Diet Tips Millennials Should Take From Mahatma Gandhi

2. Ethical and natural ingredients:

It is equally important to invest in products that use ethically sourced and sustainably harvested ingredients. Since most vegan products tend to be plant-derived it is of utmost value to ensure that while the source is natural, the impact of manufacturing is also minimal so that there is no harm done to the environment. Often the face scrubs used by us are most damaging not just to the face and to the marine life as well; thus opting for more natural ingredients rather than synthetic ones is quite beneficial. Some natural scrubbing ingredients are sugar, salt, coffee which are safe for the coral reefs and far gentler than synthetic scrubs.

3. Sustainable and eco-friendly packaging:

While the ingredients and formulation can be certified, it is also important to pay attention to the quality, material, and nature of the packaging in which the product is being stored. With an increase in clean-beauty standards, the consumption of such products has also increased, thus giving brands the opportunity to further develop their packaging in a manner that is sustainable and its increased quantity does not harm the environment.

This could translate into using raw materials that are recycled and can be renewed or even introducing the concept of up-cycling the product packaging for decoration or storage purposes. For example, The Body Shop has recently launched a new line of vegan hair care and body butter; that is not only made of 95 percent ingredients of natural origin but the packaging is made of recycled plastic that can further be recycled thus continuing the recycling system. Their makeup brushes also have wooden handles instead of plastic ones this adds to their classy appearance and use of eco-friendly material.

The above is a small snippet in a long list of things that can help contribute to a cleaner and more conscious lifestyle. Where demand increase, supply follows – as people begin to demand ethical, responsible production and products, more and more brands have begun to deliver. Household names such as The Body Shop have pioneered conversations on clean, green, and sustainable beauty for decades – thus making them a frontrunner for several old-time vegan people.

(With inputs from IANS)