The Vegetarian and Vegan Communities Supporting Sustainability Through Responsible Consumption

Plant-based diets are more and more popular across the world, together with the growing concern of consumers towards environmental issues and animal welfare. In this context, a better understanding of vegetarian and vegan consumer motivations and buying behaviour is required. Aiming to fill in this gap in the literature, a quantitative analysis was performed among 628 vegetarians and vegan consumers in Israel and Spain. Results show that the main motivation for following a meat-free diet is animal welfare, followed by environmental concern and health concerns. Vegan motivations are significantly stronger compared to those of vegetarians. Only a few relevant differences were observed between the two countries. Most vegans and many vegetarians in both countries avoid purchasing unsustainable products, particularly leather or cosmetics that have been tested on animals, thus protecting both animals and the environment.