The Vegan Society
The oldest vegan organisation in the world and a registered educational charity.
The Vegan Society - About UsFounded in November 1944 in the UK by Donald Watson and Elsie Shrigley, The Vegan Society is a registered educational charity based in Birmingham. The organization is responsible for coining the term "vegan" and promotes the principle of emancipating animals from human exploitation through peaceful and factual dialogue.
The Society works to make veganism mainstream by providing guidance to individuals, health professionals, and manufacturers, while influencing policymakers on sustainable agriculture and climate change. As of 2022, it was led by CEO Libby Peppiatt with approximately 7,727 members and 68 full-time equivalent employees.
A key part of its operations is the Vegan Trademark, established in 1990 as the world's original vegan labelling scheme. This certification ensures products contain no animal-based ingredients and are not tested on animals, reaching 70,000 product registrations by September 2024.