ABOUT US
We are a non-profit organization working to increase vegan, vegetarian, plant-based options in Japan.
WHY?
We want to help create a society that respects diversity, the environment, the lives of animals, and people’s health.
MISSION
To work in cooperation with companies, educational institutions, the government, and international organizations to create a society where plant-based options are available anywhere.
VegeProject started from a project to introduce vegan options in the to Kyoto University cafeterias. In 2013, with Haruko Kawano, at the time enrolled in a master’s course at Kyoto University, as the head of the project, VegeProject urged the administrator of the college cafeterias to start vegan cafeteria options to serve the dual purpose of providing for vegans, as well as creating an opportunity for others to learn about veganism. Before Kawano’s graduation, vegan options were introduced and they still have a great selection.
Drawing on that experience, we continued introducing vegan options to other universities, restaurants and local authorities, and in 2015, we were able to hold an interview with Paul McCartney, famously known as a member of The Beatles. Paul promotes Meat Free Monday (an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays) across the world.
In 2016, VegeProject became established as a non-profit, and we and expanded our activities to helping industries produce vegan products, issuing the vegan/vegetarian certified label, collaborating with private and public sector institutions, and creating VegeMap to be distributed in a place like a tourist information center.
Ultimately, we hope to promote the values of veganism by making it more accessible and providing more opportunities for the public to interact with veganism.
Haruko Kawano
かわのはるこ
- NPO VegeProject Japan
Founder and representative director - CEO of HUKU Corp.
- Master of Agriculture, Kyoto University
- Internship experience in Belgium
- Work Experience at an overseas division in a food company
- Finalist at a business contest, TSG 2016, organized by Tokyo Metropolitan Government
- Member of Global Shapers Kyoto (-2019)
- Specialist and advisor for vegetarian/vegan/plant-based related projects of local and national government (2019-)
A Word from the Director
Hello!
When I got to know the lifestyle of a vegetarian, I was a freshman in the university. The student from the Netherlands told me “more people are becoming vegetarian in consideration of the environmental issues.” I remember that it was hard for me to associate vegetarianism with environmental issues at that time.
Due to the loss of my beloved dog that I had spent for 12 years with when I was 20, I started thinking of the dogs and cats that are killed in the pet industry. In that process, I came not wish for the other species of animals who suffered and had their lives taken away for my meals.
As I did more and more research, I found that the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles were the better choice not only for the animals, but also for the environment and food security.
Even though I chose to study at the agricultural department at Kyoto University based on my interest in environmental issues, I felt that adopting the vegetarian lifestyle was what I could do for the earth sooner and easier than the high level lectures or some big projects that require a lot of time and money.
So, I became vegetarian first, and step by step, vegan as well. At that time in Japan, I was the rare vegetarian, but while I was doing an internship as a graduate student in Belgium, I sometimes met vegetarian people, and there were always vegetarian options since the lifestyle was socially recognized.
In my last year at the graduate school after my return to Japan, I started the project of introducing vegan options to the university’s cafeteria. And this is how VegeProject started. While this project required much patience and effort, we succeeded in introducing vegan menus thanks to all the support from many people. The vegan menus were of course appreciated by vegetarians and vegans but we also saw many other people choose and enjoyed the vegan menus.
That was the time I realized “a change can be made.”
After that experience, and even graduation, I continued VegeProject’s activities while working for a company as an employee, but on the day we had an interview with Paul McCartney, I decided “I’ll want to do this to my fullest too”, and VegeProject became an official NPO (non-profit organization) the following year.
I believe that even though it’s hard to change your customs all of a sudden, the world will be a better place if more people adopt the vegan and vegetarian lifestyles even sometimes, if we have a society where those who want to try vegetarianism and veganism can easily make that choice.
Vegetarianism and veganism is also garnering attention from a business perspective in Japan as well.
Would you like to join our project?
General Information
