What is Vegan Design?

Most people instantly think of food when hearing the word vegan, but a vegan diet is usually just the beginning of a vegan lifestyle for many. Firstly, relax.... this blog, I and my intentions are not to alter your diets, turn you vegan or get you campaigning for animal rights (although that would be pretty cool). Honestly, my main goal is just to encourage people to explore vegan materials and I'll try to do that through facts, comparing products, and showing examples of just how beautiful and healthy they can be.

I know some may dismiss the idea of vegan design because they do not class themselves as vegan, and this is the risk I have taken by putting the title in my business name but there are so many more elements to vegan design even when you put the animals aside, including our health, water, air, circularity, waste, climate, and social equality.

So, lets start with the definition of Veganism:

While this is a clear definition, I will elaborate as it tends to be more complex when choosing materials, fittings, and finishes.

Vegan design does not include any animal products such as leather, wool, silk, fur, and downs. It avoids products that have been tested on animals. It also avoids products that have caused animals to be harmed or exploited in any way (this is where wool comes into play).

So, what do we use? Vegan design, believe it or not, is not just limited to plant-based materials, just like a vegan diet is not limited to salad leaves, there is a huge array of materials that still contribute to the vegan material database, for example, leather made from pineapple leaves or wool-like rugs made from recycled plastic bottles. Both utilising a waste material, making these materials not only vegan but also sustainable.

Photo credit: Tom Dixon, The WINGBACK chair is upholstered @pinatex leather

Photo credit: Weaver Green, Herringbone Rug is made from up to 3000 single-use plastic bottles

Photo credit: The Hilton Bankside Hotel, Vegan hotel suite

In 2019, The Hilton Bankside Hotel demonstrated just how stunning a vegan design concept can look when they created the first vegan hotel suite (pictured above). I first discovered this suite when researching sustainable design and couldn't help but think of vegan design as the epitome of sustainability.

Does that make all vegan materials sustainable? The simple answer is no. An easy example to give is PVC or PU-based synthetic leathers, these alternatives are often sourced from mined and non-renewable petrochemicals (usually oil), these not only carry a range of harmful organic chemicals but, are also not sustainable or environmentally friendly. Plastic does not biodegrade, instead, it breaks down over time creating microplastics, which end up polluting our waters and harming our marine life. However, some vegan designers will still use PVC-based leathers with an important mantra in mind, progress over perfection.

Is it ok if the material is an animal-derived by-product? Again the simple answer is no. We have been misled to believe that leather is a by-product from the meat industry, however, the leather production industry is a billion-dollar industry in itself. With animals such as cats, dogs, deer's and seals being bred for their skins alone and with no distinction between the skins, who's to say what animals skin you are purchasing. By purchasing leather we are contributing to an extremely cruel industry. The same goes for wool, we have genetically modified sheep to create an excess about of wool for personal gain. This has led to sheep needing to be shorn at least once a year. So if they need to be shorn why can't we use the wool, doesn't that make wool a by-product? By purchasing the wool, we are creating a demand for wool and as we know where there is demand there is profit to be made. In this case off the shearers too. In most cases, shearers are paid by the volume, encouraging them to work at a faster pace which impacts their regard for the animal's welfare. Undercover footage and ex shearers' reports have disclosed some of the cruel practices that are taking place during the shearing process. The sheep can suffer cuts and tears to their ears, teats, and tails, broken legs, and being kicked, often with no pain relief or treatment after.

As I began to touch on leather and wool, let's look into why animal-derived materials are inhumane and unhealthy

Leather

in order for leather to