The European Vegan Summit took place online from September 19 to 23, hosted by the Polish vegan think tank Green REV Institute. Politicians, activists, and industry experts came together to explore how reforming the food system could mitigate the challenges of climate change, food poverty, animal suffering, biodiversity loss, and more.
Highlights from this year’s event included a focus on:
- Food system transition — Speakers discussed sustainable agriculture, the environmental impact of various food choices, and policy proposals and strategies that could reform the European food system.
“The EU is still a leader in climate action, but it doesn’t do enough (…) there will be a lot of conservatism until the end of the mandate,” said MEP Francisco Guereirro. - Effective and inclusive activism — Activists shared their experience of driving change through advocacy and outreach. Attendees were encouraged to take action themselves to create a more compassionate and sustainable world.
“As ecofeminists, we resist value dualism — seeing value as numbers. We see value in kindness and care,” said speaker Dr. Kristina Hiddema.
© European Vegan Summit - Female leads — To emphasise equality, the Summit featured a number of influential female speakers, including MEP Dr. Sylwia Spurek, MP Eleonora Evi, Councillor Ziggy Klazes, Dr. Anita Krajnc, Dr. Olga Kikou, and Catalina Lopez Salazar.
- The plant-based sector — Entrepreneurs, innovators, and industry leaders discussed trends, innovations, and opportunities within the plant-based sector. This included talks about biocyclic vegan agriculture and the challenges COVID-19 poses for the food industry.
The Summit also featured a number of panel discussions with notable speakers; themes included the issues faced by the food system and the potential of the plant-based sector. This was the second-ever European Vegan Summit, after the event took place for the first time last year.
Recordings of the Summit are now available on the event’s YouTube channel. The Summit also hosts a monthly podcast titled EVS Talks, with a new episode set to go live on October 6.
