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If you’re vegan and live in Australia or New Zealand, bookmark this list to keep an eye on the most sustainable vegan and cruelty-free brands across clothing, underwear, beauty, and more.
Why shop for vegan fashion and beauty in Australia and New Zealand
For many brands today, there is simply no reason not to be vegan given the availability of non-animal-derived alternatives to some of the most popular materials and ingredients traditionally used in the industries. Other brands, meanwhile, are founded on the mission to avoid the harm that comes to animals when they are used to make consumer products.
You might have already embraced a vegan lifestyle, or you might be curious after hearing about some of the animal welfare issues specific to the region, which notably includes mulesing.
Animal welfare issues in Australia and New Zealand
Australia is one of the only remaining countries not to have banned the cruel practice of live lamb cutting, also called mulesing, which sees lambs’ skin cut off to prevent flystrike. It’s a painful and stressful experience for the animals. And since Australia is a huge producer of merino wool, this ongoing practice is a problem. In fact, it’s one of the region’s most pressing animal welfare issues. Mulesing has been illegal in New Zealand since 2018.
Crocodile farming is prevalent in Australia, and while demand for “exotic” reptile skins is declining, the region still meets much of the fashion industry’s demand for it.
In New Zealand, testing finished cosmetics on animals is illegal, but the laws don’t prohibit the testing of ingredients that will later be used in cosmetics on animals, nor does it prohibit the import and sale of items tested on animals elsewhere in the world. It’s a similar story in Australia: cosmetics testing on animals is banned, but the import and use of products tested on animals in other places is not.
How we determine the best, more sustainable vegan brands
We’ve curated the best vegan fashion and beauty brands by analysing how they perform on key sustainability issues across our three rating pillars: people, the planet, and animals. Our world-leading methodology considers hundreds of data points and is peer-reviewed by industry stakeholders. When looking at the animals pillar, we consider whether brand is vegan, either through its own claims or a third-party certification, and in the case of beauty brands, the brand should also ideally be cruelty-free, meaning it does not test on animals.
In addition to animal welfare, Good On You expects brands to also be performing well in both transparency and impact reduction across people and the planet, because taking action in only one area while ignoring other vital aspects of sustainability does not make for truly responsible business. For instance, the brand should trace at least some of its supply chain; it should be opting for lower-impact materials instead of fossil-fuel-derived synthetics (which can often be used to substitute leather); ideally, it ensures living wages are paid throughout the entire supply chain; and it should be taking steps to reduce waste in packaging and product design.
These are just a few of the criteria our independent ratings analysts look for, and you can find more details in our How We Rate resource.
The highest-rated vegan fashion and beauty brands in Australia and New Zealand
From underwear to jeans, kidswear, and swimwear, plus one beauty brand that stands out for its ethics, here are the 20 highest-rated vegan brands by Good On You in Australia and New Zealand.
