The Vegan Society

Just six weeks after taking home gold at the European Duathlon Championships, vegan athlete, Lisa Gawthorne, becomes World Champion in her age group after winning the Sprint Duathlon race.

Team GB athlete, Lisa Gawthorne, saw herself crowned World Champion for her age group after competing in the Sprint Duathlon World Championships in Ibiza. Lisa completed the running and cycling race, which took place in Santa Eulalia, over a minute ahead of her competition.

Speaking of her surprise at the win after her success in the European Championships earlier in the year, Lisa says: “I am so happy; I really didn’t expect this one. It was amazing to become European Champion, but this is a dream of dreams to go one step further taking a World Champion title in my age group amongst the best of the best in the world.

There were 27 in my race, and I knew I needed to get out strong to try and maintain a good lead. I really had no idea where I was as so many waves went off at similar times and it was only when I crossed the line, I heard them call my name as the winner and realised I took the gold medal!”

This success for Lisa come as she celebrates her twentieth year as a vegan. Lisa, who became vegan for animal welfare reasons, says she has seen beneficial effects from her plant-based diet in her training and athletic performance, citing benefits such as improved recovery, excellent sleep and healthy digestion.

Lisa explains how her performance and positive approach to veganism has inspired other athletes over the years: “I am all about spreading the positive vibes associated with veganism. It’s been an absolute joy to see a lot of my GB team pals and other teammates from other countries that have decided to go vegan over the years and have either reached out for advice or mentioned that I inspired their choice – this always makes me beyond proud.”

For more about Lisa’s journey, you can listen to the Vegan Society’s podcast episode, The Vegan Pod – Is a plant-based diet really enough to fuel a vegan athlete?, where Lisa discusses how her diet has fuelled her for success. Lisa runs a vegan food brand company Bravura Foods as well as being the author of vegan fitness book Gone in 60 Minutes and helpful vegan deck of cards resource The Vegan Deck. Find her on Instagram, @Lisa_Gawthorne.

Feeling inspired to give veganism a go but you’re not sure where to start? Download the Vegan Society’s free app VeGuide for information, advice and recipes to help you on your vegan journey.

*As the popularity of vegan products in South Korea grows, The Vegan Society CEO, Steve Hamon, is set to visit the country. The trip will give the society an opportunity to meet with Vegan Society Trademark holders and attend events, with Steve speaking at VeganFesta, the largest vegan exhibition in the country. *

Research shows that South Korea is a fast-growing vegan market, with South Korean consumers interested in trying plant-based food alternatives and vegan cosmetics. In 2021, Rakuten found that 87% of South Korean consumers have tried plant milk, 27% have tried other vegan dairy alternatives and 30% have tried plant-based meats.

Jungsu Jo, a consultant from the Vegan Society of Korea, agrees, explaining that “the Korean vegan market is growing at a tremendous rate and the growth of the vegan beauty sector has been explosive.” Jungsu believes that this growth comes as more Korean consumers are beginning to think that "value-based consumption" is important - the belief that you can change the world by consuming or not consuming something.

This interest in vegan foods and cosmetics is reflected in the prevalence of the Vegan Society’s Trademark, who work with over 250 brands from South Korea, registering almost 3000 products. The Vegan Society is based in the UK, but it’s rigorous Trademark standards are recognised globally with over 65,000 products registered across 79 countries.

Third-party vegan certification is important to shoppers when trying to establish whether an item is free from animal products and animal testing. The Trademark gives consumers confidence in a brand’s products and allows them to make informed purchasing decisions.

A spokesperson for Aromatica, a South Korean Vegan Trademarked beauty brand, explains:

“The vegan certification system of the Vegan Trademark helps consumers easily check and purchase vegan products by giving credibility to their vegan status. As The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark is an international mark, it works as a reliable indicator of the safety of our products and ingredients to consumers around the world.”

The Vegan Society’s visit to the country and attendance at VeganFesta will be a valuable chance to communicate the benefits of the Trademark to South Korean brands, in addition to connecting with existing Trademark holders. Steve Hamon, CEO of The Vegan Society, says:

“I’m excited about our visit to South Korea, it’s a fantastic opportunity to meet some of the brands we’ve been working with face-to-face and see first-hand how the vegan market is growing. We know that veganism is a global movement and working with international agents, such as our consultants at the Vegan Society of Korea, allows us to be at the forefront of making veganism more accessible and accepted worldwide.”

For more information on the Vegan Trademark, please visit The Vegan Society | The Vegan Trademark. To keep up with The Vegan Society’s trip to South Korea, you can follow the Trademark on LinkedIn.

*The Vegan Trademark surpasses another milestone as they register their 30,000th vegan cosmetic product. *

The number was hit as LUSH, who have been certifying products with the Vegan Trademark since 2006, registered their “After” Magnesium Massage Bar.

The Vegan Society first introduced the Vegan Trademark in 1990 and it has since become a respected standard for vegan products, widely recognised by consumers. Beginning in the food sector, the Trademark has expanded to include drinks, fashion, household items and cosmetics, registering its first beauty brand, Ultra Glow Cosmetics in 2005.

Interest in the vegan beauty market has continued to grow, with MarketGlass predicting that the global vegan cosmetics industry will be worth a staggering $21.4 billion by 2027. Of the more than 65,000 products now registered with the Vegan Trademark, the cosmetics and toiletries category dominates making up 45% of all registrations.

When purchasing from beauty brands, it can be difficult to establish whether a product is vegan as many commonly used animal-derived ingredients aren’t widely known to the public. In their Vegan Beauty Takeover report, the Vegan Society explains:

“Animals such as cows, beavers, fish, sheep and sperm whales are often exploited to create ingredients for cosmetics and toiletries. Unfamiliar terminology on product packaging means customers are frequently unaware that they are purchasing something with animal-derived ingredients. Sadly, this lack of awareness fuels cruel practices.”

The Vegan Trademark’s rigorous standards not only ensure that there are no animal-based ingredients in a product, but also that its ingredients have not been tested on animals, making it easier for consumers to make informed decisions when purchasing beauty products.

Charis Collier, Brand Marketing Officer at The Vegan Society, says “Registering the 30,000th cosmetic has been a huge milestone for the Vegan Trademark - it’s been fantastic to see the vegan cosmetics market continue to grow over the years and to be a part of making this more accessible to consumers.

It’s wonderful that this milestone has been passed with LUSH, a longstanding Vegan Trademark client who we’ve been working with for over 15 years. We’re proud to work with a company who have made their campaign and policy against animal testing such an integral part of their brand as well as continuing to shift to what is now a 95% vegan product range.”

To find out more about registering your products with the Vegan Trademark, please visit The Vegan Trademark | The Vegan Society. For further information on vegan cosmetics, you can read the Vegan Society’s whitepaper, Unlock the Vegan Beauty Market or their latest vegan cosmetics report, Vegan Beauty Takeover USA Edition.