Veganuary

A British couple, struck with a passion for veganism, launched a campaign in 2014 hoping to inspire and educate people on the many benefits of their way of life. Their rapidly growing initiative, Veganuary, challenges everyone to go outside their comfort zone and try plant-based eating for the entire month of January.  

The start of a new year is characteristically known for beginning new chapters and creating the perfect atmosphere for trying new things. Choosing this particular month proved to be a wise decision when the number of people taking the pledge increased in each passing year. Veganuary continued gaining momentum and many participants decided to embrace these new changes even after the month had come and gone. 

Not only did the campaign challenge individual people, but entire companies were included in order to inspire bigger changes in daily life. The program’s many successes in 2021 accomplished participation exceeding half a million people, major corporations accepting the workplace challenge, plus hundreds of new vegan items added to restaurant menus and stores.   

Matthew Glover and Jane Land founded the campaign as a step in following their shared dream of a completely plant-based world. For the average person, transitioning into a more self-aware consumer isn’t easy, but Veganuary attempts to make the change as smooth as possible. A goal they share is to inspire more participants to make their pledge permanent. With that in mind, they aim to provide all the necessary information about the vegan lifestyle to people who are interested.

“Every year, Veganuary reevaluates our content and adds resources that we think will be genuinely useful to people who want to try eating vegan,” Veganuary’s U.S. Director Wendy Matthews said. “For example, we often hear concerns that a vegan diet is too expensive, so last year we added a Budget Meal Plan to our offerings.”

Veganuary aims to accommodate diverse audiences, and more of the youth population may be a new addition.

“#Veganuary has now had over 276.3M views on TikTok,” Matthews said. “So hopefully there will be more engagement among a younger audience for the 2022 campaign.”

Newer age groups have extensive platforms to draw knowledge from and can learn about how their choices aren’t only affecting themselves. 

“Today’s youth have a much higher level of awareness about climate change than earlier generations,” Matthews said. “And because this generation is so incredibly informed about the impact their daily choices have on the planet, they are taking every opportunity for positive action. It’s inspiring.” 

Every year, switching over to sustainable eating gets easier because of the increasing accessibility of plant-based products. Veganuary’s mission of a vegan utopia doesn’t seem as far in the future as it once did.