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The Vegan Society is celebrating its 80th year of operations with an interactive exhibition titled “Veganism: Past, Present and Future” in its hometown of Birmingham.
The British charity described the project as the world’s “biggest-ever vegan exhibition.” It explores the history of veganism, examines the contemporary movement, and also makes predictions about how plant-based and meat-free lifestyles might change in the future.
To explore these ideas, the exhibition features a unique VR-based experience that depicts an immersive, entirely vegan world. The Vegan Society designed the VR experience as part of the charity’s recent “The Future Is Vegan” campaign, which aims to help people envision all of the benefits that would come with a vegan world, from thriving wildlife to recovered forests.
Visitors will be able to view images, objects, and videos connected to the foundation of The Vegan Society in 1944, and all of its work since. The show also explores Birmingham’s unique connections to the vegan movement, including through the late Benjamin Zephaniah, a poet, writer, and animal rights activist originally from the city’s Handsworth neighborhood.
“We’re delighted to be able to share our history, current work and future plans with the people of Birmingham and beyond – and honoured to base our exhibition at the prestigious Library of Birmingham, at the centre of the vegan movement,” said Sam Calvert, The Vegan Society’s head of communications and fundraising.
“Veganism: Past, Present and Future” is on display now at the Library of Birmingham. It will run from May 17 to August 23, 2025, and is free to attend.
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Veganism and plant-based diets in the UK
Meat consumption hit a record low in the UK in 2023, and nearly half of all British people are concerned about animal welfare. However, research from earlier this year found that consumers in the UK are also being “systematically misled” about their food via the meat industry’s pastoral marketing imagery, which does not accurately depict the reality of UK farming.
A scientific journal entry by two leading plant-based healthcare professionals from April highlighted the potential for plant-based diets to help tackle the “intertwined crises” of poor health, biodiversity loss, social injustice, and the climate crisis, if widely encouraged.
By the end of 2024, nearly 6.5 million people reported following a vegan diet, with potentially another 7.8 million meat-free people joining by the end of this year. Up to 11 percent of Brits said that they planned to be vegetarian in 2025, while 6.4 percent said they would be vegan.
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