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Vegan home · 17 May 2022

Vegan building materials? What isn’t vegan + eco alternatives

Would you like to build a vegan home? Then you might be surprised to find out how many building materials aren’t vegan!

Most mainstream building materials aren’t vegan: they either directly or indirectly harm animals (e.g. through deforestation). For instance, bricks may contain animal blood or fat and even steel is often made by using animal fats. There are however innovative vegan building materials appearing on the market.

Read on to discover which building materials aren’t vegan and which are, as well as what to do if you want to create a vegan home.

Which building materials aren't vegan
Source: Haute Stock*

(*Note: this blog post contains affiliate links to products I genuinely like. If you click a button, or a link marked with an asterisk and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work!)

Which building materials aren’t vegan?

We already know that the construction industry is unsustainable, using a lot of energy and generating vast amounts of waste. But what people don’t often consider is the direct and indirect damage to animals and their habitats.

MaterialDirect / indirect effect on animalsIs it vegan?
BambooImpacts on the environment it’s harvested fromProbably (depending on your definition of veganism)
BrickOften contains animal blood or fatProbably not
CarpetOften contains wool, but other materials are availableSometimes
ConcreteIs made of limestone, which is often mined from caves which are habitats for batsProbably (depending on your definition of veganism)
PlasterboardMade with stearic acid and oleic acid, often from animal sourcesProbably not
SteelOften employs beef tallow and gelatine in its productionProbably not
Wall paints / varnishesCan contain casein (a milk protein), beeswax, bone derivatives, or dyes such as cochineal (“derived” from insects)Probably not, but see below for vegan-friendly options
WoodIs often treated with ox blood and animal glues, but not always + can be unsustainably harvestedHard to tell without contacting supplier

Deborah DiMare, founder of VeganDesign.org, states that it is impossible to ethically produce anything animal-based in mass quantities. So what to do when most conventional building materials aren’t vegan? One answer is looking at new vegan building materials appearing on the market.

Sustainable vegan building materials

Vegan designer Deborah Rosenberg says:

“The place where we live should do three things: reflect who we are, bring out the best in us, and contribute to a better world.”

One way to accomplish that is to incorporate innovative vegan materials into your home. Here’s what to watch out for.

There is currently a trend of “biofabrication“, which involves experimenting with nature and chemistry to create something new. I like to see it as going back to nature, but with all the comforts of the 21st century!

One example of this is mushroom-based insulation panels by Ehab Sayed’s company, BIOHM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9WTUTY0Pqk

“His products are so environmentally friendly that if just 150 buildings were constructed using them each year in the UK, it would reduce the nation’s energy consumption by 300 million kilowatt hours and divert 10 million tonnes of waste from landfill, valued at £35 million and £5 billion respectively.”

Building products

In the flooring arena, there are a few vegan alternatives to the non-vegan mainstream options. For example, instead of a wool carpet, you could opt for a carpet made of recycled materials or of seagrass:

Alternative flooring seagrass superior flatweave carpet, natural

BUY from john lewis

I could definitely see this in our home, possibly in the porch!

Other flooring options that are vegan include bamboo, stone, recycled glass tiles and cork. The first flooring company to register with the Vegan Society was indeed The Bamboo Flooring Company.

“We were really keen to carry the Vegan Trademark as we know how important it can be to some of our customers who are actively looking for vegan and eco-friendly options. As we already have a sustainable flooring product, we felt it was important we should explore other ways that bamboo flooring can help the planet. Knowing that all of our floors, including the adhesives, stains and lacquers used in production, are completely free of animal products or testing really is amazing. We’re so proud to be the first company in the world to be able to offer that option to both vegans and non-vegans alike.”

Chris Elliott, Director at The Bamboo Flooring Company

Sometimes it’s worth going back to nature and thinking about recycling what we already have!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsQBSVJoV04

So how can we create a vegan home?

If you’ve read all of the above and you’re feeling a bit guilty about what is in your home, don’t worry. You’re in good company, as the majority of vegans don’t know about the non-vegan materials lurking in their homes.

How can we create a vegan home
Source: Haute Stock*

Just the fact that this project is being labelled “the world’s first vegan hotel suite” is a sign that we’re still very much at the beginning of the trend of using vegan building materials.

If you’re committed to a cruelty-free home and you’ve got a decent budget, you could hire a vegan interior designer, like Deborah DiMare from VeganDesign.org:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCwgpgti1ds&ab_channel=Healthy%26HumaneDesign

But for many of us, it might be time to go back to the definition of veganism and simply focus on doing our best, rather than achieving a 100% vegan home:

“Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”

The Vegan Society (bolding by me)

Based on what I shared above, it’s difficult to have a home that is “perfectly” vegan, so instead we could choose to accept what we already have and see if there are vegan options when moving forward. Sometimes there won’t be, and that could be when upcycled materials come into play for example.

Baby steps towards more vegan building materials

We can start taking small steps towards making vegan building materials more mainstream.

The onus is currently on consumer to figure out what is vegan and what isn’t. But if people start regularly contacting brands to ask them if their products are vegan, they might soon realise there’s a market for vegan-friendly alternatives.

Brands will then take notice and either start making more vegan products or accurately label their existing “accidentally vegan” products. This is happening for food, fashion, cosmetics and cleaning products, so there’s hope!

Baby steps towards more vegan building materials
Source: Haute Stock*

My searches for “vegan” on the websites of large retailers like B&Q* and Homebase* didn’t prove fruitful, but I did get some traction on Etsy when searching for vegan paint:

Cornish Milk Mineral Paint in Cornish Pottery

see on etsy

Cornish Milk Mineral Paint in Flour Sack

See ON ETSY

Cornish Milk Mineral Paint in Siren

SEE ON ETSY

By the way, if you are about to get involved in a painting project, do make sure to buy synthetic brushes, rather than “natural” ones, which can contain hairs from animals as diverse as ponies and squirrels…

And if creating a vegan home is something you want to learn more about, you can check out Vegan Interior Design* by Aline Dürr, which made it onto PETA’s 2021 Vegan Homeware Awards:

Vegan Interior Design by Aline Dürr

check it out on amazon

It’s high up on my reading list – once I’ve gone through it, I may well add it to my soon-to-be-updated vegan resources page!

You may also like: The design style combo I’ve chosen for our home renovation.

Posted By: Jessica Goodenough · In: Vegan home

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About Jessica Goodenough

I'm not a regular mum, I'm a vegan mum 😉
Helping you live your best plant-based life 🌱
All welcome - no vegan police here! 💚
Learn more about me here.

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Hi I'm Jessica! Welcome to my blog, where you can find vegan lifestyle inspiration to help you live your best plant-based life!

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I wasn't going to let unflattering angles and the I wasn't going to let unflattering angles and the flu stop me from sharing my first vegan jacket from @willsveganstore! 😅✨

This post isn't sponsored, but feel free to send me free vegan stuff! 😜

If you want to check the aviator jacket, you can find it by following the link in my bio. 😘

If you've read this far, please drop an emoji in the comments if you're more interested in:
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💖 Second-hand finds

#VeganJacket #FashionDiaries #VeganFashion #SustainableFashionBrand #VeganBlogger
“I could never give up meat”… How many times “I could never give up meat”… How many times have we heard that? Or said it ourselves? 🤔

The foods we are used to can have a very strong emotional bond, even though they’re not always the best for us. Plant-based eating is better for our health and the planet (and of course the animals!), but I can understand having cravings for foods we have enjoyed for a lot of our lives. 😬

In the blog post, for each dinner, I’ll offer two options. One is the 100% vegan option and one is the one to use if you’re taking baby steps towards going vegan. Find them by following the link in my bio! 😘

#AddDontRestrict #ForksOverKnives #VeganFood
🌹 Going into work, energy hacks and food experi 🌹 Going into work, energy hacks and food experiments! 👇

1️⃣ Last week I headed into Oxford to work from "the office", aka @oxfordtownhall and had a nice lunch at my old hangout spot @artcafeoxford

2️⃣ I don't share much of my "job job" haha on here, but it is very rewarding making positive changes (or at least trying to) with @oxfordcitycouncil, like involving teenage girls in designing park equipment or trying to get more trees in the city 🌳🏙️✨

3️⃣ Anyhoo, back to fun vegan stuff - I highly recommend the Art Café if you're in Oxford and fancy something vegan, they have quite a lot of variety. The flapjack was a slice of heaven haha. (This isn't sponsored, but I will accept payment in free flapjacks and juices! 😜)

4️⃣ After a long day, it was lovely to come home to some treats I had ordered earlier:
🍄☕ Adaptogenic coffee from @london.nootropics (if you want to check them out, use code jessicagoodenough at checkout for 15% off)
📆🌷 A beautiful @amberdavenport_uk calendar that's going to serve as our family calendar so that we're on the same page this year! 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦😵‍💫😅

5️⃣ I struggled with energy a bit after a few short nights, so I've been trying a few things to stay energised. One of them is finishing my shower with cold water (okay, let's be real, it was cool water, still working on this haha)... 🥶⚡

6️⃣ ... the other one is getting fresh air after lunch to avoid getting caught up in the post-lunch slump. 👢👢🍃

7️⃣ This weekend I made the feijoada recipe from my new @thehappypear book... It tasted better than it looked haha. In fact I'd say it was the yummiest thing I've made in a while. 😋 Not exactly like the meaty ones I had in Brazil (though that was almost a decade ago) but super good!

#ThatGirlHabits #VeganWoman #Motivation
Most people start their vegan journey with food, b Most people start their vegan journey with food, but quickly we start questioning what our wardrobes and homes are full of… And sometimes it’s not a pretty picture. I never advocate for throwing everything out and going on a crazy shopping spree, but if you are in the market for new vegan furniture, here’s where you can get it! 😊

I’ll be honest, I thought I was being clever while writing this list. I thought I’d check out the list of companies with a @theoriginalvegansociety trademark, pluck out a few furniture ones and tadaa… Job done! 🌱

Well it turns out that none of the companies listed actually sell furniture… so back to good old Google. As much as I love @immaculatevegan to find lots of vegan fashion brands, there isn’t a comparable platform for vegan furniture (should I create it??). 🤔

In any case, here are some cool companies I found who sell vegan furniture in the UK (and further afield too)! ✨

#VeganFurniture #InnovativeDesign #VeganLiving #ConsciousConsumer
✨ Here are the lessons I'm taking into 2023: ✨ ✨ Here are the lessons I'm taking into 2023: ✨

👩🏼‍💻 People want my skills, I'm valuable.
⛱️ We can go on trips and make memories.
💔 People can pass away at any point: say the nice things now and make the time to see them.
🖐🏼 It's worth insisting with medical things as their resolution can bring a lot of relief.
🩸 Stress is real - make sure to prioritise self care.
💳 I'm a savvy businesswoman who takes risks and invests in herself because I know it's working. 😊
🧘🏼‍♀️ I need to pick exercise that suits my goals and lifestyle, not vice-versa.
💻 I showed up last year, I'm showing up more this year. 😊

(This is based on last week's video on what happened in 2022, go check it out and tell me what you've been up to in 2022 / what lessons you're carrying into 2023! 😘)

#2022Lessons #LivingTheGoodenoughLife #TakeADeepBreath #StayInspired #FreshStart
Trying to shop vegan but a bit confused about how Trying to shop vegan but a bit confused about how to read labels (or online descriptions)? 🤔

Vegan clothing materials are made without animal products. These can be plant fibres (cotton, hemp, linen) or plastic materials (polyester, acrylic). 🌱♻️

Clothing materials that aren’t vegan are extracted from the skin (leather), feathers (down), fur, teeth and bones of a wide variety of animals. 💔

How many did you spot? 😘

#VeganClothingMaterials #EcoTextiles #ConsciousClothing #GreenFashion #SustainableStyle
✨ First photo dump of 2023! ✨ Details 👇

1️⃣ Goodbye 2022 with a beautiful decoration from the best marraine @astridjabl 🎈
2️⃣ Starting the year with smoothies after quite a bit of chocolate and vegan cheese over Christmas 😵‍💫
3️⃣ My words for 2023 - tell me yours in the comments! 💖
4️⃣ Experimenting with smoothies: apparently you can add too many beans... Tasted a bit "muddy". 😅
5️⃣ This quarter I'm focusing on improving my wardrobe: more to come on that front soon, but as part of it, I'm trying to document my outfits more 💃🏼
6️⃣ I'm also re-focusing on eating my Daily Dozen (by @nutrition_facts_org) and I'll be re-doing the meal plan I created a while back 🫒🍝
7️⃣ Inspired by @gretchenrubin's #Outside23in23, I've been trying to head out of my home office natural habitat more often (though not every day like she is) 🌳

Back to you: how have you started the year? 😘

#VeganGoodLife #IntentionSetting #VeganBlogger #IntentionalLiving
Where we're at with the kitchen renovation: ✅ T Where we're at with the kitchen renovation:

✅ The cupboards are all in
✅ The beautiful breakfast bar with a waterfall worktop is done (photos soon once we declutter it 😬)
✅ All the worktops are in place
✅ All appliances are in place
✅ The hob backsplash tiles are on the wall (the ones you can see in the video are now grouted)

What's still to happen:
💙 Treating the hob worktop (it's currently covered, under the tiles in the video)
💙 Put hob in
💙 Get lights over breakfast bar working
💙 Purchase bins + the "back" of the breakfast bar (or front if you're looking at it from the living room!)
💙 Finish adding cupboard doors
💙 ... and probably many more things!

The Man (aka @robbeaver 😅) has done the vast majority of the work and managed the whole project... I don't think he's in a rush to take on a big project for such a difficult client again. 😜

#FeelingOfHome #HappyHomeDesigner #KitchenRenovation
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