Easy Swaps To Go Vegan This Summer

by | Aug 20, 2021

Easy Swaps To Go Vegan This Summer

Easy Swaps To Go Vegan This Summer

The environmental and ethical cases for a diet free of all animal products is compelling, which is why more of us are choosing to become vegan.

There are approximately two million people in the UK identifying as vegan, and this number is only continuing to rise each year. According to the Waitrose Food and Drink report, around 33.5% of the UK population have cut down on their meat consumption, or have cut meat out altogether

With that said, there’s more to veganism than cutting down on meat. There are numerous ways you can go vegan this summer with simple lifestyle changes, whether that be changing your skincare, make-up and toiletries or evaluating your cleaning products, homeware products, and much, much more.

As a lifestyle and ethical marketplace app, GoEthical stocks a large variety of ethical brands, including those with a core value of producing vegan alternatives. Here are some of the easy swaps you can make using our favourite eco-friendly and vegan products.

Vegan Food Substitutes

Of course, it wouldn’t be an ultimate guide to easy vegan swaps if we didn’t mention some of our favourite vegan food products. A vegan diet is richer in certain nutrients and provides an array of health benefits.

Eating a vegan diet can be complicated with so many of our everyday food products containing traces of animal products. If you’d like to explore some meat-free food substitutes which are both completely vegan and delicious, here are some of our favourite brands:

  • Jenks Brands: Delicious vegan snacks with all-natural ingredients and no palm oil
  • Raw Gorilla Products: Keto and natural whole food breakfasts, snacks and chocolate, made using 100% organic whole food ingredients, with no processing or refining
  • The Raw Chocolate Company: Super velvety smooth and intense chocolate made using certified organic cacao and minimally processed to keep the chocolate as natural as possible
  • Earthly Kind: Not only does Earthly Kind use plastic-free packaging and aim to carbon offset their delivery, but they also produce high-quality plant-based snack boxes, which include mouth-watering chocolate and healthy (but delicious!) savoury snacks to give you an energy boost
  • Pure Siberia: Naturally vegan and organic pinecone jams sourced from Siberia, used to strengthen the immune system and protect from cold and other viruses

Vegan Beauty Brands

Many of our everyday makeup products are still tested on animals or contain animal by-products, which could either be an animal ingredient or animal-derived ingredient. Some of the animal by-product ingredients you should be avoiding include collagen, keratin, beeswax, lanolin, squalene, guanine and carmine. 

The best way to identify vegan makeup and beauty products is to look out for certified logos on the packaging. Or, alternatively, here are two of our recommended beauty brands that are completely vegan and made ethically:

  • All Earth Mineral Cosmetics: Environmentally friendly makeup products made using beautiful natural ingredients and colours. If you have old makeup brand packaging, containers or brushes, you can also send these back to All Earth Mineral Cosmetics and they will fully recycle them through their Terracycle project
  • Love The Planet: Vegan, cruelty-free, paraben and palm oil free makeup products from their mineral makeup collection. Orders are posted in paper envelopes, with products ready to be decanted into your existing containers

Vegan Toiletries

We go through a lot of toiletries every year, and most of the toiletries we use contain harmful products,are stored in packaging that cannot be recycled and eventually ends up in a landfill. According to the Direct Line Group, 15.5 million UK adults purchased travel-size toiletries in the last 12 months, and the average household will get through 24 bottles of shower gel and 108 toilet rolls every year (around 2.25 miles of paper!).

If you are looking to adopt a vegan and eco-friendly lifestyle, then changing the toiletries you buy can make a significant difference. From eco toothbrushes and vegan soaps to natural shampoos & conditioners, sustainable grooming products, and everything in between.

Here are just a handful of our favourite sustainable brands that stock vegan toiletries and everyday products:

  • Truthpaste: Botanical toothpaste with antibacterial & anti-inflammatory properties to support the health of your whole mouth, also zero-waste and plastic-free
  • Discover Blue: Bathroom product boxes made with natural ingredients from ethical UK suppliers, with the option of a subscription box
  • Evergreen Soap Company: Hand-made soap produced using the highest quality ingredients,100% natural and vegan. Their soap also make for perfect gifts!
  • Funky Soap Shop LTD:  100% natural hand-made soap using fresh and healthy ingredients, including pure oils and butters
  • KIND2: High-quality shampoo and conditioner bars made with natural fragrances, natural colours and full of active plant-based extracts 
  • Mr Masey’s Emporium of Beards: Men’s grooming products that are vegan, plant-based and cruelty-free. Their range includes beard oils, conditioners and razors

Vegan Skincare

Similar to your favourite makeup brands, your skincare products are likely to contain animal-by products, with some companies also still testing on animals. The best skincare you can find should contain natural ingredients and be sustainably sourced in order to give you lasting benefits.

Here are some vegan skincare brands which are kind to your skin and to the planet:

  • Diazo Cosmetics: Cruelty-free, organic, vegan and natural skincare products, made from plants.
  • Nereus London (UK): Sustainable luxury toiletries and beauty care products, made using   100% natural fragrances that are both organic and smell amazing
  • Sintra Naturals: All-natural skin-friendly products, with a belief that the term ‘natural’ shouldn’t have to be expensive
  • Whitfords: 100% plastic-free, botanical skincare made using natural and petroleum-free ingredients

Vegan Cleaning Products

Plastic pollution has some detrimental effects on marine wildlife, such as whales, fish, turtles and seabirds. This physical impact can result in entanglement, ingestion and starvation. And, unfortunately, a huge amount of this plastic waste is from our everyday cleaning products which are still not yet recyclable or vegan due to a staggeringly large number of animal products found in conventional cleaning products.

When buying your everyday cleaning products, try to take functionality and environmental impact into consideration, with products that do not endanger aquatic life.

  • Clean Living International: Natural and biological cleaning products made using less plastic, less waste and fewer chemicals. Buy their aluminium reusable bottles and simply order a concentrate sachet to mix with water
  • Elmkind: Refill, reuse and recycle with Elmkind’s natural cleaning products for around the home. Order a reusable aluminium bottle and buy their refill concentrates when you eventually need to 
  • Shayker: Refillable, non-toxic and cruelty free eco-friendly cleaning products that are good for your home and the planet

Vegan Fashion

Fashion waste comes from a variety of issues, but one of the biggest culprits is fast fashion which has detrimental, long-lasting environmental issues, as well as contributing towards clothing poverty throughout the world. When we throw away fashion garments, the microfibres tend to end up in the ocean and can put our aquatic life at risk. It can also take longer for these fibres to break down.

The raw materials used in making clothes generates an increased use of toxins through a huge amount of pesticides which cause incredible damage to our environment. This is why we strongly emphasise the importance of recycling old clothing and giving it a new home, rather than throwing it away.

Moving towards vegan fashion can also have a positive impact, and doesn’t include any sort of animal by-product, for example, leather, wool, silk, cashmere, feathers or fur.

Some ethical and vegan fashion brands that we would highly recommend include:

  • Love & Love: Vegan, ethical and sustainable handbags made using vegan leather (PU) and lined with recycled plastic drinking bottles
  • SÆ-RIMA: Ethically and sustainably produced gender-neutral garments made in the heart of Suffolk
  • Y.O.U: Stylish underwear made from super-soft organic Fairtrade cotton which is also PETA-approved vegan
  • RUBYMOON: Sustainable swimwear and activewear made with ECONYL® regenerated nylon from waste and using 42% fewer carbon emissions than their competitors
  • Ross Oliver: Luxury footwear made using cactus leather for great lasting products without environmental damages. Ross Oliver donate 20% of their Big Cat Sanctuary Boots Collection sales to the Big Cat Sanctuary, to ensure that their valuable work in protecting big cats all over the world continues! 

Shop Ethically via the GoEthical App

Whether you’re a dedicated vegan, a flexitarian or are exploring more environmentally friendly lifestyle choices, you’ll be happy to know that there are a growing number of ethical brands offering vegan-friendly products, which you can find right here on the GoEthical marketplace.

If you are passionate about living a vegan and more sustainable lifestyle, then consider downloading the GoEthical app available on IOS or Google Play. 

You’ll find a wide range of ethically vetted sellers, as well as a collection of pre-loved items. You can also register yourself to sell any of your own, beautiful items.