With vegan cookery books, a global vegan food market and the vegan society, there are many different ways to follow the trends. 

• The term ‘vegan’ was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson, the founder of The Vegan Society
  
  
• Did you know that veganism is now considered a way of life rather than just a diet? A vegan lifestyle can be adopted across your choices in clothing and fabrics, the skincare you use and, of course, your cleaning products. We believe it’s ok to start where you need to and it’s never too late to adopt a vegan lifestyle.
  
  
• Did you know that eggs, yes eggs, are commonly used as binders to hold ingredients together in cleaning products such as dishwasher tablets? Choose vegan to clean your dishes!
  
  
• Cows produce 150 billion gallons of methane per day (source), meaning that beef farms are responsible for 37% of methane emissions (source). Going Vegan means less need for that much livestock. Food for thought.
  
  
• According to an estimate by the United Nations, the number of vegans in the world today is 78,000,000 and counting (source)!
  
  
• So many people don’t realise that honey is in fact not vegan. Bees can be overworked and exploited to make the sheer amounts of honey that they wouldn’t naturally produce otherwise. In nature, a single worker bee may visit up to 10,000 flowers in one day and, in her lifetime, produce only a teaspoon full of honey (source). Also, bees can be crushed in the manufacturing process by huge machines used to bottle the honey. Although it makes a nice fragrance for cleaning and skincare products, it comes at the cost of manipulating innocent bees.

• Did you know that going Vegan could cut your carbon footprint by half? Yep, that’s a whopping 50%. If you’re concerned about climate change it’s a no brainer really…
  
  
• There are so many celebrities that have gone vegan and inspired their fans to do the same. Some of our favourites include Ellie Goulding, Natalie Portman, Leona Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jared Leto, RZA, Venus Williams, Leis Hamilton and Ariana Grande.
  
  
• What has Veganism got to do with your pets? Well, although cruelty-free and vegan are two different things, we feel it makes sense to adopt both lifestyles where possible. Not only are farm animals slaughtered at a rate of 56 billion a year (source), animals such as dogs, rabbits, cats, mice and more are all tested on for the sake of producing chemicals that are used in cleaning products, cosmetics and elsewhere.
  
  
• One British resident going Vegan could spare the lives of approximately 8 cattle animals in their lifetime per person (source). While this may not seem like a lot, with nearly 68 million people in Britain, we’ll let you do the math.

• Being vegan is about what you wear too. Clothes made from wool and leather are not vegan and, although many people think these materials are leftover biproducts of the meat industry, it’s not always true. Bags, shoes, jumpers and belts are often made from calf skins and sheep are often abused and mistreated to get their wool. There are some great vegan brands offering more sustainable alternatives, such as Everlane, Matt & Nat, Pangaia, Organic Basics, Beyond Skin, Stella McCartney and Votch.
  
  
• Did you know British vegan food brand Moving Mountains was founded by Simeon Van Der Molen who also founded and launched Ecozone over 20 years ago?
  
  
• Veganism is protected as a human right under Article 9 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights!
  
  
• What does Safe for Aquatic Life Mean? While conventional chemicals may ‘sanitise’ your home, they end up in the water system and cause harm to water supplies, marine life and water organisms. We make sure our products don’t damage our waters or cause harm to any creature on land or in the deep blue sea.
  
  
• Do you know what Tallow is? It’s an ingredient that’s often incorporated into fabric conditioners and towel softeners. Tallow is rendered fat from animals that’s added to the formula to soften fabrics. At Ecozone, we use plant-based fats instead, so you can wear your clothes knowing you’re not walking around with your garments covered in animal fat to keep them lovingly soft!
  
  
• The first animal-free cookery book, Kitchen Philosophy for Vegetarians, was published in England in 1849 by William Horsell of London. A review of the book claimed that “…butter and eggs are excluded” (Vegetarian Advocate, September 1849, p.10), making it the first known vegan cookbook (source)?

• It’s very clear that veganism is a big trend in the UK, but did you know (source):
  • In 2018, the UK launched more vegan products than any nation
  • In 2020, Brighton UK was found to be the most Vegan-friendly city
  • As of 2020, every top UK supermarket (by revenue) has its own Vegan range
  • The UK’s purchase & consumption rates of Vegan; milk, meat, butter, cheese, ready meals & seafood are the highest in Europe
  • Between 2019 & 2020 November, Vegan food orders via Deliveroo shot up 115%
    
    
• Sales of Vegan Cleaning Products at Tesco increase by 80% in 2019
  
  
• ‘Not tested on animals’ is one of the most important packaging claims according to 57% of people that took a poll by Nielsen.
  
  
• Did you know, animal-derived ingredients such as caprylic acid (sourced from milk) could be lurking in your conventional cleaning products?
  
  
• Have you heard of lanolin? It’s a fatty substance found naturally on sheep’s wool which is used as a base for ointments. It is sometimes used in laundry detergent as it is said to soften fabrics. There are so many other ways to soften fabrics that we say it’s best left on sheep where it belongs!

• Personal care is one area that has come under a lot of scrutiny because of animal ingredients and testing that have been used to produce products in the past. But there are so many amazing vegan brands to choose from, such as Manucurist for nail varnish, Laboratory Perfumes, 456 for skincare and Nuud for deodorant. There’s also vegan and plastic-free period products from Natracare, hair wax from Natural Barber Co and essential oils from Anatome London.
  
  
• As of 2020, all of the UK’s largest supermarkets stocks its own vegan range. Everything from food to cleaning products readily available!
  
  
• Despite what is mostly publicised, it’s not just mice and rabbits that get tested on. Animals such as dogs, cats, horses and monkeys are also subject to cruel testing treatments.
  
  
• Do you know what Lethicin is? It’s a generic name for the yellow-brownish fatty substances that come from animal tissues and act as emulsifiers in cleaning and personal care products.
  
  
• There are many ways to clean your home with natural ingredients. These include swapping bleach for a solution of baking soda and vinegar and using citrus fruits to cut through grease. Of course, sometimes you need something a bit stronger, which is why our products are formulated to work just as well as harsh chemicals without any of the nasty, harmful ingredients.

• Ecozone holds the Vegan Trademark, which demonstrates that our products are free from animal ingredients. There are over 48,000 worldwide that hold the Trademark!
• As well as being certified Vegan, all of our products are also endorsed by Cruelty Free International, which investigates, exposes and campaigns against animal testing worldwide.
  
  
• We were thrilled in 2020 to add PETA to our list of certifications. PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement and protest campaigns to ensure the fair treatment of all animals.
  
  
• Although they might sound similar, the terms vegan and plant-based are not the same. Even if a product is mostly made up of plant-based ingredients, it could still include some small amounts of animal products.

• There are so many animal ingredients to look out for in food, personal care and household products. One that might go unnoticed is Oleyl Alcohol, which can be derived from both plant-based sources and fish! It’s always best to check, or opt for products that are free from it entirely!
  
  
• We hope you’ve enjoyed these 31 facts, but you might be wondering why we decided to share them. Well, you probably know that the Veganuary campaign encourages people to ditch all animal products each January. For Ecozone, it’s a chance to celebrate brands that always leave animal ingredients out of their products. We hope you’ve enjoyed these vegan facts and learnt something along the way and that you’ll choose vegan wherever possible!

This article first appeared on ecozone