The Vegan Society

What The Vegan Society does

The Vegan Society is a UK-registered charity founded in 1944 in Birmingham, operating as the world's oldest vegan organization. It serves multiple stakeholder groups including individual consumers adopting vegan lifestyles, food and product manufacturers seeking certification, schools and educators, healthcare professionals, government policymakers, and international vegan activists. The organization operates 101-250 staff and maintains registered charity status in England and Wales (279228) and Scotland (SC049495).

The organization's core products and platforms span certification, content, commerce, and community. The Vegan Trademark is a certification program verifying that products contain no animal ingredients and have not been tested on animals, licensed to thousands of brands across food, cosmetics, toiletries, household items, and fashion categories. Consumer-facing products include the VEG 1 supplement line, the VeGuide mobile application for lifestyle transition, The Vegan Pod podcast, and The Vegan Magazine. Educational resources include lesson plans for Key Stage 3/4 students developed in partnership with Twinkl. Technology infrastructure is relatively lightweight: the VeGuide app, an online Vegan Trademark Search database, and a Vegananalyser calculator tool. No API, SDK, AI/ML capabilities, or data infrastructure are disclosed.

The business model combines four revenue streams: membership subscriptions starting at £2 per month, trademark licensing fees paid by brands and manufacturers (not publicly disclosed, quote-based), product sales (VEG 1 supplements, gifts, accessories) through an online storefront, and donations including one-time gifts and legacy bequests. Distribution is omnichannel: direct self-serve membership, e-commerce, B2B trademark licensing, educational distribution via Twinkl, and affiliate partnerships. The organization also operates a grant-giving programme (allocating £26,000 internationally in 2025) funded by donations, and engages in policy advocacy through coalitions such as the Ten-Point Plan for Plant-Rich Diets endorsed with Plant Based Health Professionals and Foodrise.

Name

The Vegan Society

Legal name

The Vegan Society

Website

https://vegansociety.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Vegan Society is a UK-registered charity founded in 1944 that promotes veganism through trademark certification for product manufacturers, membership programs, education, and policy advocacy. It serves consumers, brands, schools, healthcare professionals, and policymakers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vegan Certification and Advocacy Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

akta.pro primary industry

Vegan/Vegetarian & Animal-Derived Ingredient Verification (incl. cross-contact) (AFALAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Welfare Certification Services (AFALAMAE), Plant-Based & Vegetarian/Vegan Nutrition (HSADAFAJ)

Keywords

• Vegan certification services
• Nonprofit advocacy organization
• Trademark licensing program
• Plant-based nutrition resources
• Charitable grants funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Individual membership program offering resources, nutrition guidance, and member-exclusive discounts starting from £2 per month
2. Vegan Trademark licensing: Brands and manufacturers pay licensing fees to use The Vegan Society's trademark on their certified vegan products
3. Product sales: Sale of VEG 1 vegan supplements, gifts, and accessories through the online shop
4. Donations: Charitable donations from supporters, including one-time gifts and legacy donations through wills

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Vegan Society is a UK-based registered charity that certifies vegan products through its internationally recognized Vegan Trademark licensing program, sells VEG 1 vegan supplements and branded merchandise, and operates as the world's oldest vegan advocacy organization (founded 1944). It funds its mission through individual memberships (£2/month), donations, product sales, and trademark licensing fees paid by brands and manufacturers for certified vegan products.

Product overview

The Vegan Society operates primarily as a nonprofit organization offering advocacy, certification, and educational services rather than a unified technology product. Its core offerings include the Vegan Trademark certification program for brands, VEG 1 Vegan Supplements as a consumer product, the VeGuide mobile app for lifestyle guidance, The Vegan Pod podcast and The Vegan magazine as content platforms, and various campaigns such as The Future is Vegan. The organization also provides educational resources including teaching materials and a grant programme supporting international vegan activism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Vegan Trademark: A certification programme that awards the Vegan Trademark to products that are free from animal ingredients and animal testing.
• VEG 1
• The Vegan Pod
• The Vegan Magazine
• The Future is Vegan

Quantifiable outcome

• Additional 16.5 million people could be fed by converting land used for animal feed
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Plant Based Health Professionals (PBHP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Co-endorsers of the Ten-Point Plan for Plant-Rich Diets, along with over 60 organizations and experts. This joint position paper proposes measures the government can enact to increase production and consumption of vegetables, fruit, legumes, pulses and wholegrains in the UK.
• FoodrisecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Co-endorser of the Ten-Point Plan for Plant-Rich Diets with The Vegan Society and Plant Based Health Professionals.
• TwinklminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with Twinkl to develop educational materials about veganism for Key Stage 3 or 4 students. Materials explain what veganism means, reasons for choosing a vegan lifestyle, and how a vegan diet can meet nutritional needs.
• UK Climate Change CommitteeminorOthersOfficial statutory body whose recommendations The Vegan Society cites and advocates for. The Committee recommends dietary change towards plants, including 20% cut in dairy by 2035 and 35% cut in meat by 2050.
• Vegan Trademark licensees (thousands of brands)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver thousands of brands and manufacturers hold licenses to use The Vegan Society's trademark on their certified vegan products spanning food, cosmetics, toiletries, household items, and fashion categories.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Greenpeace: Global environmental advocacy non-profit that engages on plant-based diets as part of climate-change campaigning. Comparable in its charity structure, policy advocacy, donor-driven funding model, and use of evidence-based reports to influence dietary and food-system policy.
• Fairtrade Foundation: UK-registered charity licensing the FAIRTRADE Mark to consumer brands across food, textiles, and cosmetics. Highly analogous operating model - charity-owned certification trademark licensed to thousands of brands - making it a strong reference point for the Vegan Trademark's commercial trajectory and governance structure.
• Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): One of the largest US animal welfare organizations with broader scope than vegan advocacy, including pet rescue, wildlife protection, and farm animal welfare. Comparable as an advocacy/charity peer operating certification and policy-influence programmes in the animal welfare space.

Direct peers

• Animal Equality: International animal-protection non-profit operating vegan and farmed-animal welfare campaigns across multiple continents. Comparable in mission, international grant-giving style, and corporate-engagement advocacy, though structured around investigative campaigns rather than product certification.
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Largest animal rights organization globally, with a vegan advocacy mission closely aligned to The Vegan Society. Both promote plant-based living to end animal exploitation through campaigns, corporate engagement, and certification-style endorsement programmes (e.g., PETA's 'Beauty Without Bunnies').
• Vegan Action / Certified Vegan (Vegan.org): US-based non-profit operating the 'Certified Vegan' logo programme, a direct competitor to the Vegan Trademark for vegan product certification. Highly comparable on the licensing/trademark business model, product scope, and non-profit structure, though with a North American brand focus.
• Cruelty Free International: UK- and US-based non-profit running the 'Leaping Bunny' certification programme for cruelty-free cosmetics and household products. Closely comparable as a charity-driven certification body that licenses a recognized logo to consumer brands in the animal-welfare space.
• Vegetarian Society: UK-based charity founded in 1847 promoting vegetarianism, the closest direct peer. Operates the 'Vegetarian Society Approved' trademark for food and beverage products, sharing The Vegan Society's certification, advocacy, and membership-driven non-profit model, though focused on vegetarian (not vegan) standards.
• Plant Based Health Professionals (PBHP): UK charity of healthcare professionals advocating plant-based nutrition. Closely comparable as a vegan-aligned non-profit partner that co-endorses the Ten-Point Plan for Plant-Rich Diets with The Vegan Society, sharing the nutrition-education and policy-reform remit.

Emerging players

• BeVeg International: For-profit vegan certification company offering trademark licensing to food, beverage, cosmetics, and personal-care brands. Directly competes with the Vegan Trademark in the vegan-certification-as-a-service category but operates on a commercial (non-charity) basis with global expansion ambitions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheVeganSociety
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheVeganSociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheVeganSociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/theoriginalvegansociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Vegan Society