2021 year in review
2021 WAS A BREAKTHROUGH YEAR AS WE REACHED THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF BILLIONS
This year, we broke new ground with our relentless campaigns to end factory farming. With our network of Changemakers, we convinced some of the world’s biggest companies—household names like Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Krispy Kreme—to commit to eliminating the worst cruelties against chickens. And, on top of that, we exposed the abuses that run rampant within animal agriculture, garnering unprecedented attention in mainstream media.
Together, even amidst an ongoing global pandemic, we created incredible change for HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of animals. And we’re building a plant-based movement that’s coming into the spotlight as billions of people, all around the globe, learn more about the abuse of animals raised for food—and decide to take action.
CORPORATE COMMITMENTS SECURED FOR CHICKENS
This year, we kept up the pressure against the meat industry and won more than 20 critical commitments for chickens raised for meat—including commitments from major supermarket chains: Kroger, Sprouts, and Giant Eagle. Additionally, in partnership with the Open Wing Alliance (OWA), we secured vital new policies from Burger King, TGI Friday’s, Taco Bell, Subway, Chopstix, and Popeye’s to protect chickens raised for meat.
HENS FREE FROM CAGES
Since 2015, we have fought hard for egg-laying hens, and this year we convinced major companies like Krispy Kreme, Au Bon Pain, Dunkin’ Donuts, Peet’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell to go 100% cage-free across their global operations. To date, the OWA has won more than 100 global cage-free commitments from the world’s biggest companies. And they’re making progress: 85% of companies that committed to go cage-free by 2020 have already completed their transition. Nearly every major food company in the US has committed to phasing out intensive confinement by 2026, and a growing number of states have banned cages for egg-laying hens—most recently, Nevada. Every year, we see the number of hens living free from cages grow dramatically, from 28% of hens at the end of 2020 to, today, over 32%.
ANIMAL ABUSE MADE HEADLINES
The Humane League worked tirelessly to bring the animal welfare movement into the mainstream. With searing reports like our 2021 Eggsposé, The Price of a Slice, and the White Striping Report, we put the corporate abuse of animals front and center. And we made headlines. These are just some of the outlets that amplified our work: Bloomberg, CBS, The Guardian, Vox, Slate, The Atlantic, Salon, Forbes, MSN, Yahoo, NowThis, and The New York Times. We reached billions of people with the heartbreaking details of factory farming—and inspired them to make a difference for animals.
Recognized as a top charity for the 8th consecutive year
We are honored to have been selected as a Top Charity by Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE) again this year. Every year, ACE evaluates dozens of organizations around the world who are fighting to reduce the suffering of the greatest number of animals, and we are proud to have been recognized as one of the top-performing charities in the world every single year that ACE has performed their evaluations. It is because of our supporters that we are able to pursue a highly cost-effective strategy that changes the lives of hundreds of millions of animals each year. So the congratulations and gratitude goes to you—thank you!
Together, in 2021, we surpassed key milestones in the fight to end the abuse of animals raised for food. With your support, we’ll make 2022 another landmark year for animals.