You know a movement has gone mainstream when it gets its own dedicated section in Marks and Spencer, as is the case with Veganism. According to The Vegan Society, the number of vegans quadrupled between 2014 and 2018. Today around 7 per cent of Brits are living as vegans.
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We all know what turning vegans means for your diet – avoiding meat, fish, eggs or dairy. But what does it mean for your home?
Non-vegan household items
If you’ve recently turned vegan you might be thinking of swapping out your leather or fur furnishings for more animal friendly options. However, you’ll be surprised what other animal products are lurking in your home.
You might be shocked to find that the LCD TV in your living room, isn't actually vegan! It stunned us to find out that your TV, computer and tablet may all use animal cholesterol in the liquid crystals in the screens.
If that wasn’t shocking enough, your whole building probably isn’t vegan. Oxblood and animal fat are usually added to building materials such as bricks and cement to make them last longer.
Sadly your bathroom or kitchen aren't safe either. Other surprise non-animal friendly items include plastic bags, shampoo and conditioner and even fabric softener.
Out of 1,300 UK based vegans surveyed by Hillary's, two-thirds didn’t realise at least one of these products contain animal products. However, only 72 per cent claimed they’d only adapted their diet when going vegan.
However, before you throw the towel in on your new vegan lifestyle, be reassured that since veganism has gone mainstream more animal-friendly options should become available. A few years ago eating out as a vegan was a nightmare, but now there are more choices than ever in restaurants and supermarket.
‘It is great to see the modifications people are making to their lifestyles for the sake of animals and the environment,’ says Tara Hall, a spokesperson for Hillarys. ‘But until further changes are made to the ingredients in household products, it will be hard for people to convert to a fully vegan lifestyle.’
We're optimistic that change can't be that far off, so we're crossing our fingers for that LCD TV with a 'suitable for vegans' sign on the box.
Would you give up your TV if you turned vegan?
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