Dr. Bronner’s Marks Animal Advocacy Milestone

By the end of 2019, Dr. Bronner’s will have donated more than  $2.5 million since 2013 to a variety of leading organizations that are working to expose and reduce the suffering of animals, while advocating for healthier and more sustainable food systems that combat climate change.  
 
This is the sixth year of its philanthropy program to support animal advocacy efforts. Its commitment is made alongside the company’s other core causes, including fair trade, regenerative organic agriculture, drug policy reform, raising the minimum wage, and community and youth programs.
 
“In 1997, I committed to living a vegan lifestyle out of respect for the well-being and dignity of animal life and wild ecosystems. Now, awareness of the ethical nightmare and disastrous consequences of factory farming is on the rise. The first vegan IPO broke unprecedented records on the stock market earlier this year. Generally, the demand for and availability of plant-based alternatives to animal products seems to be exploding at fast-food chains, in the grocery aisle and beyond. The taste and affordability of these foods iscontinuously improving too, making it easier and easier for people to adopt more compassionate eating habits,” said David Bronner, CEO (cosmic engagement officer) of Dr. Bronner’s. “In this spirit, Dr. Bronner’s offers free, daily, 100% plant-based lunches to our 200+ employees at our headquarters. I’m proud of my family and our company for standing up for animals in this historic moment of climate crisis, both with our free vegan lunch program, and our dedicated giving to support the animal advocacy movement, now in its sixth year. We need to end factory farming now!”  
 
Dr. Bronner’s formalized its Animal Advocacy giving program in 2013. Under this program the company supports a variety of approaches to address the horrors of animal exploitation, primarily focusing on the plight of cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). In addition, Dr. Bronner’s is also a dedicated supporter of Sea Shepherd, the direct-action oriented marine wildlife conservation organization. 
 
“Dr. Bronner’s strives to take a holistic approach to our funding and support of animal advocacy. We believe that strong movements create the most meaningful and lasting change,” said Ryan Fletcher, who directs Dr. Bronner’s public affairs and media relations department as well as the company’s animal advocacy giving program. “We view the animal advocacy movement as an ecosystem, and seek to help maintain the vitality of that ecosystem in order to increase the movement’s collective impact and success.” 
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The company’s grantees and partners utilize myriad strategies to reduce animal suffering, increase public awareness, and create lasting change to better the lives of non-human animals. 
These strategies include:

• Engaging in advocacy and education on animal rights, veganism, and plant-based eating; 
• Expanding the markets for alternatives to factory farm products; 
• Pursuing legislative changes to ban the worst practices on factory farms; 
• Working with major corporations on policies to eliminate or reduce the use of factory farm products;
• Conducting undercover investigations that generate mainstream media coverage to expose the public to the worst abuses occurring on factory farms;
• Operating animal sanctuaries that provide a safe haven for victims of animal abuse and educational opportunities for the public. 
 
“Dr. Bronner’s supported our Question 3 ballot measure in Massachusetts that passed in 2016, which successfully banned cruel confinement practices for egg laying-hens, breeding pigs, and calves, thereby creating—at the time—the most progressive law regulating protections for these farmed animals in the world. This victory set the stage for the successful Prop 12 victory in California two years later which created an even stronger law,” said Josh Balk, vice president of Farm Animal Protection at the Humane Society of the United States. 
 
During the course of its six years to date, Dr. Bronner’s donations have helped fuel policy change, establish multiple new organizations and sustain a host of others with critical resources. Notable accomplishments include: the passing of Question 3 in Massachusetts (2016) and Prop 12 in California (2018) – two pieces of legislation that banned cruel confinement practices for chickens, pigs and calves;  funding the Good Food Institute and Plant Based Foods Association in 2016, and Encompass in 2018, allowing each organization to prove concept in their initial years and attract other donors in the years to follow; the purchase of a ship for Sea Shepherd, the international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization; and a partnership with Compassion in World Farming along with The Rodale Institute, Patagonia, and other allies to form the Regenerative Organic Alliance and create Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC) in 2018. 
 
By the end 2019, Dr. Bronner’s will have made donations totaling over $390,000 to the following organizations: Black Vegans Rock, Compassion Over Killing, Compassion in World Farming, Encompass, Good Food Institute, Factory Farming Awareness Coalition, Farm Forward, Humane Society of the United States: Farm Animal Protection Department, Our Hen House,Plant Based Foods Association, Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, Reducetarian Foundation, Sea Shepherd, Sistah Vegan Project, VINE Sanctuary, and Vegan Outreach. 
 
In addition to financial donations, this year the company donated its soaps and other products to festivals, conferences, educational events, fundraisers, animal sanctuaries, and direct-action campaigns.  In fact, Dr. Bronner’s distributed free 4 oz. Almond Castile Liquid Soaps carrying a special limited edition label that declares: “End Factory Farming!” Not available in stores or for resale, these soaps have been distributed freely at animal advocacy and plant-based lifestyle events, and generally via Dr. Bronner’s partner organizations in the movement, throughout the year.