How to incorporate cruelty-free into your organisation

Cruelty-free is having its moment as more and more people are demanding transparency from businesses in terms of their practices.

There is increasing pressure on all aspects of business, including accountants and finance firms, as cruelty-free businesses look at their suppliers and other business contacts to ensure their values are in-line with their own.

So where should you start if you want your business to be cruelty free? The answer, as with most things, is of course with ourselves.

What motivates you to move towards cruelty-free?

I had my ‘aha’ moment when I was a teenager. I was already a vegetarian and I had never really eaten much dairy anyway.  But during a chance encounter with the Krishna movement I was introduced to the idea of compassionate eating for the first time and it made complete sense to me.

As soon as I thought about what I was doing by eating meat and equally by eating any by-products from the meat industry, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like I had just woken up from some murky fog and all of a sudden, I could see clearly how I wanted to live my life and how I should live my life. I personally believe you cannot claim to be cruelty free if you consume or sell meat products.

I do believe these kinds of ‘aha’ moments have the power to change the path of your life in a very transformative way, so it helps to educate yourself about what is really going on in the world.

Do your research

Farming practices, how we treat animals, and how we treat each other are all an integral part of our daily lives. Take the time to read about what actually goes on. If you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone to do that then so be it.

Just because something is out of sight it doesn’t mean it is not happening and if the information is not in front of you, seek it out.  Find out what really happens to animals when they are slaughtered. It may well make you cry.

Embrace the ethos of cruelty-free

Ever since my ‘aha’ moment on, everything I have done has been driven by what yoga calls Ahimsa – non-harming. This is what I believe is the basis for a cruelty free world – and therefore a cruelty-free business.

It’s obvious that not killing and eating animals is a big part of Ahimsa, but what about its wider meaning?  Ahimsa is about refraining from harmful actions, but it is also about refraining from harmful thoughts too.

So, Ahimsa really means complete absence of violence and harm in thought, word and deed. This, in my opinion, is what cruelty-free really means. And it is this ethos that needs to be applied throughout the business – from your clients, to your staff, to your marketing. Focus on a complete absence of violence and harm.

Over the years I have had to learn how to apply Ahimsa to business. I can’t live my life one way and turn a blind eye when it comes to commerce.

Look deeper

Everything, absolutely everything, needs to stand up to scrutiny so always look deeper.

You can start by not using products on your premises that are tested on animals and are fair trade (the soap in the bathrooms, the coffee in the kitchen) and having that as a company policy is important. Also look at your clients.  They should be dealing with fair trade companies who look after their staff, choosing ingredients and materials that don’t damage the environment, paying a fair price and treating suppliers fairly.

In our case, of course, we eliminate ALL animal products from our stock and supply chain. But you have to take that outside your own business too. We only work with ethical suppliers who have done their own due diligence on their suppliers. We are rigid in our checking because it really matters. If you want to be cruelty-free – you also need to ask the same of your suppliers and clients alike.

It starts with you!

Beyond that, and perhaps even more importantly, being cruelty free really starts with positive actions and interactions. And that comes from you.  Look to yourself to be kind and be compassionate with everyone and that includes staff, suppliers, clients, contractors – anyone and everyone really with whom you have professional dealings.

Although this may seem like a big undertaking, it is worth it – and customers will appreciate it and recognise it.  Cruelty free businesses will be more and more important in the future – customers will demand it, and the transparency to be sure you are doing what you claim. Start now. Build the ethos, bit by bit, into your business. Tell people what you are doing and be willing to accept that you may not get it perfectly right every time – but a desire to change, and genuinely sticking with your ethics will help you attract a strong, committed team and loyal customers.

I do believe that if we want to live in a cruelty free world it starts with compassion to self and compassion to others – whoever they are.

This guest post was written by Louise Palmer-Masterton, founder of restaurant chain Stem + Glory.