Vegan, from plate to feet
"The noble character of a fashion item or a pair of shoes is not about its rarity, but about the ethics with which it was produced. This is the definition of luxury that we want to share through COG."
- Omar
Let it be perceived like a nebula fashion phenomenon emerge, like the activist cause of his life or as a simple consumption style that we explore out of curiosity on an ad hoc basis, it is clear that the vegan lifestyle has been increasingly talked about in recent years. This is so true that even the big brands in the mainstream food industry now have their range of vegan products on their shelves.
The cause of this? Probably the fact thata growing part of the population finds itself - at least partially - in the values carried by the vegan philosophy, since nowadays, consumption beyond being a matter of taste, is also the expression of our convictions. The vegan phenomenon is such that a world day honors this lifestyle on November 1st every year for almost 30 years.
We're not telling you anything new here. COG, our shoes are 100% vegan, and this characteristic is not a coincidence since beyond being the driving idea behind the creation of our brand, Animal welfare is one of our key sensitivities.
As November 1st and World Vegan Day approach, we wanted to talk to you about the vegan concept, from the creation of the term, to the reasons that can motivate people to adopt a vegan lifestyle, or even, like yours truly, to produce shoes without animal-based materials.
Let's get on board!
But what exactly is veganism?
“Excuse me, Madam, where is veganism on the map? I’m lost.” Okay, for those who are not yet very familiar with the concept, perhaps a brief definition of the term is in order; so we can fold up the world map and bring out the old dictionary instead.
First of all, it may be relevant to clarify that Veganism is no more a religion than it is a state of America, nor a Hungarian dish.
A contraction of the Anglo-Saxon term “vegetarian”, the term was invented in 1944 by the co-founder of the Vegan Society, Donald Watson. It refers to a way of life that excludes all exploitation and cruelty towards animals., which in the strict sense, consists of not consuming any product of animal origin, or having been tested on animals. In practice, this means that we do not eat the meat of the cow for example, than we do not drink its milk, or dress in its “leather”.
THE veganism can thus be seen as theextension of thought founder plant-based diets, applied to all consumption. It is therefore more akin to a philosophy of life, combined with a style of consumption, than to a diet, since it guides the choices of the vegan person beyond their diet: from their wardrobe, to their cosmetic products, or possibly also, towards the choice of a sofa without leather.
But then, what is a vegan "has the right" to eat or dress ?
If the term “vegan” is based on the strict definition cited above, as a school of thought, nothing is imposed; and the vegan person remains free to consume or not what they wishIn this, it is up to each person to define the limits of their diet and lifestyle according to their affinities, their pace, their ideas and dispositions, but also according to their age or their state of health. So there are as many ways to be vegan as there are vegan people. and ways to thrive in that choice.
For example, some vegans no longer buy animal leather, but still wear their old leather shoes or accessories as ecological conviction. Some associate this lifestyle with an activist cause, others with a way to perform better in sports. Some vegans like to claim and express their thoughts, others live their convictions in silence. Finally, some people conform to a restricted field of vegan practices in their daily lives, while other people are more exclusive.
In summary, veganism is a philosophy, which in application, like any choice, responds to the way each person appropriates it.
November 1st is a day to celebrate animal rights.
Over the decades and as veganism becomes more mainstream, new alternatives to animal products emerge, and with them, more and more events enrich the lifestyle.
This is how, since 1994, 50 years after the term appeared in our vocabulary, we have started to celebrate World Vegan Day on November 1st every yearThe initiative comes from Louise Wallis, then president of the Vegan Society, who chose this date to coincide with All Saints' Day, the day of the dead. way of paying tribute to individuals and animal species that are now extinct.
Spontaneously and given the content of the subject, one would tend to imagine a rather sad and austere celebration. However, the event is rather experienced as a cheerful hymn to this way of life, and a festive occasion to come together around common convictions, against a backdrop of sharing initiatives and homemade recipes.
Launch pad for a whole list of events that will punctuate the month of November as part of World Vegan Month (festivals, congresses, meetings, Veggie Pride…) the day is also an opportunity to take the time to put our civic habits into perspective, and to learn about the consequences that our activities have on animal life and the biosphere. It is also an opportunity to discover new, more responsible alternatives.
Ok, but what reasons are pushing people to become vegan ?
Our team shares 5 tips for an easier approach to cruelty-free consumption.
Concern for the environment.
It is often highlighted at COG, if the vegan criterion should not be the only one observed, a shoe made in Europe not using no materials animal, is generally much more environmentally friendly than the same pair of leather shoes produced in Asia (3 to 6 times less CO2 emitted).
The reason for this? According to a study conducted by the University of Oxford, Livestock farming alone generates 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. And our consumption of animal products has only increased over the last century, so much so that a French person would eat on average 4 times more meat in 2021 than their ancestors 100 years earlier.
It is also considered that today approximately 70% of global deforestation and water resource depletion are linked in one way or another to the agri-food industry, in which livestock farming is not left behind since it requires a lot of space to store livestock and produce feed for the herds (e.g. soy produced in Brazil and deforestation of the Amazon forest).
We can also add to the environmental note soil pollution due to animal excrement, transport of herds, and all the sectors of processing and preservation of products of animal origin which are also major sources of pollution. The example with leather - resulting from the transformation of animal skin into rot-proof material by a tanning process - which frequently requires the use of materials that are very harmful to nature and people living in areas polluted by tanneries.
Seen from this angle, a vegan lifestyle represents in itself an ecological posture, and a favorable resolution to reduce the impact of its consumption on the planet.
Take care of your health.
We're narrowing the focus a little more to look at the benefits of a vegan diet - and in this case, a vegan diet - on our health.
Well, let's be honest, there is a debate here between the supporters of the all-vegetable diet, convinced of the benefits of this diet for the body, and the people who prefer flexi or omnivorous diets, defending the point of view that the body needs all types of intake.
At the house of COG, if we do not consider ourselves bad for producing good and beautiful things vegan shoes (apparently a bit of advertising and a dose of self-congratulation from time to time doesn't hurt), we are also particularly gifted at devouring vegan pancakes and cheesecakes. But our field of expertise is clearly not dietetics, not even that related to the vegan diet. As a result, we will refrain from addressing the nutritional field in too much detail due to lack of mastery, but we can still share a few thoughts with you:
To begin with, let's note that those in our small team who have adopted a vegan diet, despite the years of application, are doing very well, sometimes perhaps too well - including one, whose name we will not mention, but whom we are struggling to channel, he will recognize himself! Joking aside, it is clear that we are in good shape, and that many others people, sometimes very sporty, experience it just as well as we do, and testify to excellent health conditions.
Also, for all we know, Most of the nutrients and vitamins that are attributed to a diet that includes animal proteins, find their equivalent in a vegan diet.. The little extra benefit: a greener diet is less caloric and helps to reduce cholesterol levels and risk factors related to cardiovascular diseases.
A plant-based diet is also lower in saturated fat, salt and sugar, It helps to facilitate weight loss and stabilize the body, as long as we maintain a varied diet, and are reasonable about processed preparations such as desserts and biscuits, which are very rich in oils and sugar, whether they are vegan or not.
Moreover, nowadays and with the industrialization of livestock farming, animals growing on giant farms under conditions of intense stress, receive drug treatments that allow them to stabilize and tolerate these conditions of confinement, concentration and deprivation of light more easily. Inevitably, The drugs they absorb remain partly in their bodies and end up in animal meats, and consequently into the bellies of the consumers of these meats. The same goes for dairy products and other materials produced by these animals for the purpose of being consumed. The quality of these products is in fact closely linked to the conditions in which the animal was able to grow and flourish.
In this, a vegan diet, added to a consumption of organic fruits, vegetables, and legumes, avoids the absorption of molecules that can be the cause of many pathologies. However, beware of pesticides and agricultural chemicals that can make the consumption of products of plant origin just as harmful to health.
Finally, one of the qualities of the vegan diet and the vegan lifestyle certainly comes from the first criticism that could be made of them: that of still being relatively marginal, and therefore, of requiring in their application patience, curiosity, and taking the time to learn, sometimes even to get hands-on to produce your own alternatives. The relative accessibility of vegan products often means that you have to cook for yourself what you usually find ready-made in stores. Of course, it takes time, but at least a priori, no reason to consume products of unknown origin or composition. It’s also often better for the planet: more bulk, less plastic.
Seen in this light, veganism is a way of take back control of what we consume, to discover new horizons, and sometimes even to learn more about oneself through these new fields of exploration.
Protect animals and limit their mistreatment.
Stake, the question of the rights of the living, and ours to dominate and take advantage of other species. Another issue highlighted by vegan thinking, the question of preserving biodiversity as a whole, that of the interdependence of animal and plant species between them, and of the necessary need to maintain this symbiosis to preserve life. It is considered thatA quarter of the world's animal species are threatened with extinction due to human activities, which, in order to establish themselves, dislodge animal groups from their environment, and jeopardize the potential of species to perpetuate their reign. We all know the sad and almost vulgarly famous example of the orangutan forced to move deeper into its primary forest, which gradually disappears to make way for palm plantations. Unfortunately, this one is only one icon among the many species in danger of extinction, under the yoke of too much hunting, fishing, poaching, or human industrial activities that destroy animal and plant life. Added to this is the number of Animal victims due to global warming, which humans are unfortunately at the origin of. Example with the forests ravaged by mega fires in recent years, and the millions of animals injured, or found charred by the flames. Vegan thinking and the lifestyle associated with it thus underlines the need to question and reconsider both the impact of our production and that of our consumption in a global manner. They highlight the fundamental need for to reconnect with consideration for animals, to rethink the perception we have of them, in the same way that we work with the environment and plant species. Each species, whether vegetable or animal, being only theone of the founding links - but no less fundamental - forming this great whole that is nature. Under this conception, humans are one of them, and must find their place alongside other species, not above them.
After this pavement, you will regain a little vegetable with your vegetables ?
What did we say?
Ah yes, in short, quite a few reasons to think about the merits of not consuming products of animal origin. But if this philosophy has its ethical attractions, for who wishes to approach it, but it must be done in such a way that it remains enjoyable and digestible, without experiencing it as suffering. It's true, if only for food, a vegan or even vegetarian diet can be restrictive in some respects (yes, we have a sense of euphemism, or we don't); and To neglect our gluttony and our attachment to our gastronomic conveniences would be a mistake..
Fortunately, it just so happens that in recent years, plates have become more plant-based, fashion has become less animal-based, and a lot of innovative alternatives are emerging - here we could still talk about COG, but we thought that would be pushing the envelope a bit ;)
1/ Go there gently, listen to yourself, move at your own pace, in stages and in a positive way. Rome was not built in a day, and every effort is in itself a great victory. “Know thyself,” said Socrates.
2/ Keep in mind the reason for your choices and actions. It's all a question of meaning, and We achieve our goals much more easily when we are led towards them with clear ideas., keeping in mind why, and where we are heading.
3/ Learn about the motivations that pushed us to take to the road, and continue to feed this curiosity. Knowledge proves to be a valuable motivator and help.
4/ Alternatives exist, why deprive yourself of taking advantage of them? With moderation of course, but A little occasional pleasure does a lot of good and boosts your enthusiasm. ! Plant-based diets are an ocean of delights and pleasures to discover. Here again, you have to be curious.
5/ “Alone we go faster, together we go further”, says the adage. Share your experiences and understanding novelty surrounded by others is more funGood advice and new ideas are a source of wealth.
Expert diploma in veganism, with mention!
You are now an expert on the foundations of vegan thinking.
By creating COG, Our goal has been to offer products in line with a responsible lifestyle, designed in respect for people manufacturing our shoes, but more broadly, in that of the entire living sphere.
This article is also the opportunity to better share with you what the vegan composition of our shoes means to us, because far beyond certificates and labels, It is a fundamental ethical component. The vegan criterion guarantees the preservation of the integrity of animal life, like the label OEKO-TEX 100 guarantees a manufacturing process that protects ecosystems and human health.
Undoubtedly, we love fashion, and like everyone else, we appreciate having a great time. pair of sneakers on the feet, matched with a nice outfit. But what we love above all else, it is to tell us that what we wear, and what is being sold has not harmed or caused damage to anyone. This is by far our greatest pride!
What we aspire to in parallel with the diffusion of our shoes is share with you a new perspective on living species, and the place we give them. In fact, even more than on species, a new look at the animal as an individual and unique entity, feeling, thinking and experiencing his life like us.
There is a tendency to want to highlight animal intelligence by comparing it to that of humans, when it is not There is no need to know the brain potential of a being to question their right to freely enjoy their life.. Do we have to be able to solve the theory of general relativity to claim the right to live free? Fortunately not. Moreover, each species has its own physical and psychological dispositions. After all, are sparrows considered superior to us because they only have to spread their wings to take flight, while we cannot do so?
Animals have incredible qualities of survival, hearing, sagacity, love and appreciation, which amaze each of us, from childhood to adulthood.
At the house of COG, we think that the best way to give animal species the consideration they deserve, is of let them live freely, without classifying, submitting or using them, and remembering the formidable chance to simply be there, at to be able to watch them live.
As always, we were chatty! Thank you for reading, happy world vegan day to those interested, and see you in the next article on our blog.
WALK CLEAN, the team COG