Disclaimer- This article is not intended to impose my choice on others; I do not detest someone for not being a vegan. It's just about lending a wider perspective of Veganism.
Introduction
In general, the product sustains the main business chain and by-products become the ancillary chain. It's because the by-product is derived from the process of production.
But what about when the by-products make it more appealing for a product to exist in the market?
There are market segments where the by-product becomes imperative in the business chain than the product itself. For instance, Beauty care products, testing on animals, dairy products, pharmaceuticals, the leather industry, etc are stronger business chains and perhaps essential business chains that sustain the meat industry.
Dairy product is an integral part of that chain which leads to the slaughterhouse. In other words, dairy products necessitate the existence of a slaughterhouse from an economic point of view. Because here the economy and utility of the livestock take the front seat, not the ethical treatment of animals or their biological processes. Similarly testing on animals for certification and product development, gelatine for pharmaceuticals, and many more.....
Veganism creates an impression about food habits in the first place and draws attention to a new perspective on why we need to revisit our food choices or about whether another alternative is available or not without compromising the nutritional requirement.
But Veganism or a vegan product is not just about the food that we consume, whether it is cruelty-free or not, rather it encompasses the process, ingredients, product, and by-products even it also covers the cruelty-free aspects at the secondary and tertiary levels and emphasizes on ethical treatment as well as sustainability.
Veganism seeks to address every dimension of our lifestyle and offers a choice which is sustainable, ethical, and informed, without compromising the nutritional requirement.
"Choice" is a contested term very often in Lifestyle habits and food habits. But if the same choice is creating unsustainable chains at the secondary or tertiary levels, carbon footprint, and brings the question of ethical treatment to the table, then the choice should be qualified by ethics, sustainability, and responsibility.
Our choice should be co-extensive with environmental sustainability, biological processes, etc. That is where Veganism becomes a vital link and reason for an ethical and sustainable choice.
Market size of products vis-a-vis by-products
Here is a comparison between the Meat industry and animal-byproducts, and it is quite apparent that the by-products and animal-derived products front runs the meat industry, not the other way around.
And that by-product industry is deeply integrated into our lifestyles(e.g. beauty care products) at so many levels, so unless we make an all-encompassing vegan choice the purpose of veganism will not be fulfilled in the true sense.
The post-industrialization period commercialized every aspect of our society including live stocks.
So if we truly want to address this issue, we need to fix the by-product industry first, in other words, it requires reverse integration, if the by-product industry is addressed with better alternatives(vegan products) and suitable choices, the demand at the slaughterhouses will automatically reduce. It is the by-product industry that is sustaining the slaughterhouses.
Carbon Footprint of Meat Industry
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The carbon footprint of the meat industry is incredibly high and plant-based product lowers it by at least 10 to 15 times.
Even more so, the facilities which are needed to domesticate animal stock are not sustainable either- there is a shortage of pasture land, and the natural environment and biological process of animals for commercialization purposes have been made artificial, synthetic beyond ethical norms.
Veganism the new way of life
It's not just about the choice of food, it's more about delinking all other dimensions of Lifestyles that are directly or indirectly integrated with animal-based products.
E.g. Animal-derived ingredients like beeswax, lanolin, etc can be replaced with natural waxes, plant extracts, etc.
Further, Veganism is not about just avoiding harming animals, it's more about creating enabling conditions where the processes and supply chain indirectly do not harm their habitat and ecological processes.
For example, the formulation of vegan products discouraged the use of petroleum-based derivatives and synthetic chemicals.
Beauty care products
The youth, affluent, and elite classes are always conscious of their appearance primarily because of two reasons:-
- a status symbol
- they can afford to do so
That brings the question of whether grooming is a costly affair that the common man can not afford. Yes, grooming has become sophisticated and that is why beauty care products have become a billion-dollar industry(25 Billion USD globally).
But largely, with the rise of purchasing power, it has been mainstreaming and that is again mainly due to media, and advertisements. That's not a problem in the first place, however, since it is animal-derived it becomes an ethical question to scrutinize whether a plant-based option can be made available as a choice or not.
Until the rise of the internet and social media, the people at large were oblivious of the animal-derived ingredients in beauty care products, thanks to the internet and the expansion of the knowledge economy, now at least people genuinely want an alternative, at least an informed choice.
New Trends of Veganism and new Target group
Gen Z/millenials are increasingly becoming conscious about the process as well as the product, and that arouses their decision-making to make an ethical and sustainable choice that preserves the lifecycles and respects the ethical issue of animals.
source
The internet and the rise of social media complement it.
When the choice of a particular product(not just food) is informed by the ethical process, e.g. ethical treatment to animals, sustainability, and cruelty-free process, it finds it closer to a vegan product.
Veganism in Indian Context
In India, Many people do not know the distinction between vegetarianism and veganism, they take it as synonyms of the other.
And Dairy is a dominant trend in India. Knowingly or Unknowingly, even vegetarian people are becoming a part of the cruel chain and even more so, post-industrialization, dairy has been highly commercialized, and agricultural practices have changed dramatically, which means the animals are highly commodified for their economic utility, once they stop lactating they find their way to slaughterhouses.
However, the hope for veganism is equally wide and deeper in the Indian context. Because India has a strong appeal for Natural things historically and culturally. Ayurveda testifies to this claim.
Vegan products and the rich heritage of herbal remedies in India share commonalities and complementarities.
Moreover, in India, there is a growing demand among Gen Z, and there has been a strong trend in wellness programs, and organic and natural ways of living in India.
However the use of vegan products is a limited phenomenon in urban areas, and there is greater effort needed for consumer orientation and perception.
Other than that, when a particular product becomes a part of your habit for generations, it becomes very difficult to do away from it. For example, in India, you can not remove Maggi from the kitchen. So anything new has natural rejection from the people in the first place despite the authenticity of the product.
I was a vegetarian by birth; now a vegan
Since birth, I was a vegetarian on account of family culture, and in such an environment I was raised.
But during my college time, I got to know about Veganism. That jerked me into the reality of the dairy industry and eventually, I became a vegan.
However there are so many things/products where I struggle to make a vegan choice, for example, buying a vegan belt or shoe, they are essentials for my formal attire to appear for an interview, similarly, finding a vegan restaurant in small cities is near impossible.
Conclusion
From "making a choice" to "consumerism" to the notion of a "purchasing vector", the entire tapestry of lifestyle habits is an interconnected and complex cliche.
Such a paradigm of post-industrialized society can not be transformed into a new, ethical, and sustainable choice at the drop of a hat, however that does not mean Veganism be put into a cold bag, no, every transformation is a long-drawn process, it requires the time and space to permeate the masses with the message of Ethics and sustainability so that they can factor in these aspects while making a choice.
Put simply, Veganism makes it a qualified choice.
This is my participation for the Initiative: March Monthly Prompt
Check out the above post if you are keen to participate in a particular theme of the day.
Thank you.