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Important Highlights From Plant Based Treaty in 2024

2024 was a very successful year for the Plant Based Treaty – keep reading to learn why!

In 2024, the Plant Based Treaty team made history! From 10 new cities endorsing the treaty to groundbreaking menu changes worldwide, we’ve been driving real climate action.

100 Cafés Campaign

2024 saw the launch of the ambitious 100 Cafés Campaign, an initiative to get 100 cafés in 100 towns and cities to increase plant-based options. Plant Based Treaty teams worked diligently to put hundreds of window clings up in participating businesses to normalise plant-based food, encourage people to try plant-based meals, and choose dairy-free milk in their coffee. 130 businesses endorsed the Plant Based Treaty in just two months at the end of 2024 thanks to the 100 Cafés Campaign! Teams from 26 countries and 85 cities participated and spread the vegan message to over 300 cafés!

The project was inspired by campaigner Hoshimi Sakai and the Plant Based Treaty Tbilisi team in Georgia when they launched a Plant-Based Earth Month program in March. Volunteers distributed vegan flyers to cafés, restaurants, bars, hotels, and kitchens across Tbilisi. They encouraged establishments to make their menus vegan and many businesses signed up and agreed to add vegan options for April.

The Plant Based Treaty was featured in a local newspaper, Georgia Today, for several weeks that helped the success of this pilot project and turned it into a greater global initiative. Campaign tool kits were available online and the marketing team ensured activists had access to printed materials like flyers, endorsement sign-up sheets, plant-based recipes, and default oat milk fact sheets to spread the message around the world.

City Campaign

10 cities endorsed the Plant Based Treaty in 2024, taking us to a total of 34. These cities along with almost a quarter million individuals, groups, and businesses support our call for a global Plant Based Treaty to be added to the Paris Agreement and for local implementation of plant-based food policy.

Mayor Chelsea Byers said, “I am proud to bring Veganuary to the City of West Hollywood! This action is a continuation of the City’s ambitious climate goals and ongoing support for animal rights and welfare. This month, our residents and businesses will come together to participate in this challenge to highlight the health, environmental, and ethical benefits of plant-based diets.”

In 2024, Amsterdam became the first EU capital to endorse the Plant Based Treaty in response to the climate emergency. With the goal of becoming a plant-based capital, the city is shifting its food consumption across the city to 60% plant-based protein by 2030.

The City of Amsterdam Council said, “The way we produce, distribute, process, and consume food has a significant impact on the health of people and animals and contributes to the climate crisis.”

Brampton Regional Councillor Navjit Kaur Brar said, “We have to acknowledge the importance of diverse food options to meet the dietary needs of Brampton’s residents, looking at not only personal preferences for plant-based foods and locally sourced foods, but also food sensitivities as well. Considering plant-based, locally sourced and sustainable food procurement options for city events, city facilities should be a key part of our city’s climate action plan.”

Other cities that endorsed the Plant Based Treaty in 2024 include:

• Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Rainbow Lake, Canada
• Tavira, Portugal
• Darebin, Australia
• Hoboken, USA
• Udaipur, India

Plant Based Treaty Playbooks

With four fantastic playbooks in 2024 (and more on the way for 2025!), we were able to educate city councils, state governments, international institutions, universities, colleges, schools, hospitals, prisons, senior homes, restaurants, and corporations to learn about best practices for a plant-based food transition.

Early Childhood Education

The playbook for Early Childhood Education is loaded with useful resources like webinars, scientific articles, menu examples, and sustainability reports that will benefit the 175 million children worldwide in ECE centers. With over half a billion meals and snacks served daily, that’s a lot of plant-based meals! The playbook encourages schools to adopt a Greener by Default stance that fulfills children’s dietary requirements.

Senior Care Homes

The Senior Care Homes playbook focuses on reducing food-related greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable dietary shifts for seniors. Senior Care Homes serve millions of meals daily and could play a huge role in combating climate change and improving the health of residents. In 2024, two senior homes in Uruguay incorporated vegan dinners and high-protein vegan snacks after meeting with the Plant Based Treaty team. While on site, our inspiring team conducted a hands-on cooking workshop preparing delicious and nutritious plant-based meals.

Sports & Athletics

Vegan athletes prove daily we don’t need animal products to build muscle, remain healthy, and compete professionally. The playbook for Sports & Athletics aims to normalize plant-based eating within sports and athletics and encourages athletes, teams, sports organizations, gyms, and educational institutions to transition to sustainable plant-based diets.

We also highlighted 5 Incredible Athletes Powered By Plants including vegan seven-time racing World Champion, Lewis Hamilton.

Universities & Colleges

Plant Based Treaty teams secured menu changes at “La Taula Verde” café at the University of Toronto. The café switched its original menu to a 100% plant-based menu for the month of January to coincide with Veganuary. The Universities & Colleges playbook explains how campuses can lead the way by transitioning to a plant-based food system and the benefits that will affect not only the health of students, but save millions of animals and our planet. In the UK’s Cardiff University, their sustainable food policy ensures half their menu items on campus are vegan and students enjoy healthy meals at Green Shoots Café, their first all vegan and veggie restaurant.

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