Major UK Businesses Participate In Veganuary 2022 - Volkswagen Group, Harrods, Sky And Over 70 Other Companies Encourage Staff To Go Vegan

Harrods, the world's leading luxury department store, has joined the list of businesses taking part in the Veganuary Workplace challenge.

The forward-thinking companies are encouraging everyone in their team to follow a more sustainable diet, eat vegan for a month and lower their carbon footprint. The companies will be swapping meat and dairy products for plant-based alternatives and providing vegan catering for employees. 

The list includes Volkswagen Group UK, Sky, Superdrug, Papa John's, NHS Supply Chain, Adept Carehomes and many more top British businesses participating in the challenge. 

Explaining why it's essential to consider changing diet for more sustainable, Cian O'Brien, Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK, said: "Our business is focussed on driving increased sustainability. As a responsible vehicle manufacturer, we are focused on driving electrification and play a leading role in shaping future mobility in a sustainable way. However, sustainability is broader and the opportunity to make a personal contribution through changing our habits has to be explored. Hence, I am happy to try Veganuary and encourage colleagues to give it a go as sometimes small changes can make a real difference."

Liz Williams, Papa John's UK Managing Director, said: "2022 marks the first year of the Veganuary Workplace Challenge at Papa John's, and another small step in our Plant Love mission. Through this global campaign, our aim is to plant love for the people, planet and communities we serve, and in doing so, demonstrate the benefits of plant-based food and how nature makes many pizza ingredients better. Milestones in our Plant Love pledge include the ongoing expansion of our plant-based and flexitarian offering, as well as plant-based and vegan industry award wins in the UK and Middle East. The call to sign-up to Veganuary's 31-day challenge has been shared with colleagues in over 45 countries, many have answered, and they will be supported through January and beyond with helpful tips and plant-based recipe inspiration."

Joe Lock, Communities Director at Adept Carehomes, said:"I am taking part in Veganuary this year. As a company we want to show that there are care homes that do cater for alternative diets and take people's beliefs into consideration, as I was horrified to hear recently about some care homes not respecting people's vegan and vegetarian diets, when they have dementia and are feeding them meat. I am an advocate of the vegan way of life and feel it does boost my energy, it can also reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes which can be common factors in the elderly. I think it is important that we try new and exciting things and change people's perceptions. I try to ensure the residents' lives are exciting and adventurous and I hope that one day someone will do the same for me when I reach their age."

Over 75 businesses and institutions are participating in Veganuary's Workplace Challenge this year, including top professional services firms such as PwC and EY; Suffolk County Council; Action for Children; M&S; London Southbank University; Hastings Direct; Cauldron/Quorn; Higgidy, Aveda Global and the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt (RJAH) Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

According to the latest survey conducted by YouGov, 34% of adults in Britain are interested in trying a plant-based diet, while 8% of adults are already following a plant-based diet. The study also revealed that 35% of Brits say their perceptions of a vegan diet have changed for the better in the past two years. While 36% of respondents think eating vegan food is an 'admirable thing to do.'

Veganuary is a charity registered in England and Wales inspiring people to try vegan for 31 days in January. If you haven't signed up for Veganuary yet, you can do it here.

Toni Vernelli, Veganuary's Head of Communications, commented: "It's great to have so many businesses putting their values into action by taking part in Veganuary's Workplace Challenge. It's a fun way to unite their teams in a shared experience while demonstrating their commitment to reducing their impact on the planet and improving the health and wellbeing of their employees. With a recent YouGov survey showing that 34% of Brits are interested in trying a vegan/plant-based diet*, we're sure their employees will appreciate this helping hand."

Check The Vegan Kind's massive Veganuary collection and find all the grocery products you need to complete the challenge. From plant-based meat swaps, dairy-free cheeses and milk, to vegan staples, sweets and snacks - we have everything you need to follow a more sustainable diet and lower your carbon footprint in January and throughout the rest of the year!