Usually when talking about vegan, we're talking about food.. and occasionally clothing.
But today, I wonder to talk about consumer goods; like soaps. Or some fabric softeners. And even some shampoos and conditioners.
For example, there are more than 20 components from animals that could be in your shampoo and conditioner. The tricky part is when you read “panthenol,” “amino acids,” or “vitamin B” on a bottle (just to name a few), it can be either from animal or plant source, which makes it hard to tell. Some companies have intentionally remove the word “animal” from some ingredients to avoid putting off consumers.
Another example of this is glycerin in toothpastes. It can come from an animal or plant source.. but it's impossible to tell by the ingredient list.
The only way to get around such ingredients (that you can't figure out the source), is to buy expressly vegan options.
Fabric softener, though? Well, Downy fabric softener contains Dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride, which comes from the cattle, sheep and horse industry.
But what about companies, even small ones, that sell some vegan items, and also non-vegan items? Do you purchase from companies that sell both? Or do you prefer companies that cater to vegans?
I feel both have their plus sides.
Obviously, buying from solely vegan companies, like Alternative Outfitters or Pangea Organics, creates a thriving vegan market.. and boosts the popularity of such items. No question that we want the vegan business model to be a successful and profitable one.
On the other hand, buying vegan options from a company that sells both.. such as Indigo Wild, also sends a message to that company, that there's a demand for more vegan goods. And if the vegan items turn a bigger profit, no company will turn their back on that once it's in black and white on their spreadsheets.
So, what say you? Shop exclusively with vegan companies, or find vegan items within a larger selection?
No comments:
Post a Comment