Plant-Based Universities began in late 2021 at 3 universities in the UK (King's College London, University College London, and the University of Warwick), calling on universities to transition to 100% just and sustainable plant-based catering to tackle the climate and nature crises. The campaign quickly spread to more than 20 universities across the country within a year! In November 2022 the campaign saw its first major success, as students at the University of Stirling voted for their Students' Union to adopt 100% plant-based catering. This was quickly followed in early 2023 by landmark votes for fully plant-based transitions at other prestigious institutions including Cambridge, Birmingham, and University College London.

In September 2023 our open letter was released; signed by over 850 academics and public figures, it took Plant-Based Universities to new heights - including an appearance on the UK's primetime breakfast TV show "Good Morning Britain". It was also in late 2023 that Plant-Based Universities spread further to countries including Austria and Germany, with the Student's Council at the University of Graz giving their formal support to the campaign. In 2024 we spread further, bringing up a total of 10 different countries with campaigns: UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, The Netherlands, Czechia, and Poland, and we also got the support of the UK's National Union of Students. We currently have active campaigns in over 60 universities all across Europe, run by student teams on their campuses, and expect to continue growing.

Universities have significant cultural capital, and their actions have a great influence over the broader ethical views and sustainable practices in society. They educate the leaders of our future and are the very institutions where much of our research and understanding of the climate crisis emerges. Currently, universities act to legitimise the industries of animal agriculture and fishing, and this needs to change.

If we can make universities adopt fully plant-based menus, we set an example to the government and other institutions on how to genuinely act on the climate and ecological emergencies. See the press section of our website for an inventory of our successes across international campuses so far. The student population are statistically the most likely demographic to be supportive of plant-based food for environmental reasons, and there is also a long history and tradition of student activism and radicalism. Just like universities were among the first institutions to divest from fossil fuels, they can be the first to divest from animal agriculture.

In 2018, Doctors Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek collaborated to produce a meta-analysis of around 38,000 farms across the globe: 'Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers'. Their findings showed that, beyond all reasonable doubt, the production of animal products is causing untold damage to our climate.

It can free up 76% of global farmland, much of which can be rewilded, restoring our precious wildlife and saving thousands of animals. The campaign aims to reframe the mainstream environmental debate so that a fully plant-based food system can be celebrated as a key solution to the climate and nature emergencies. We are not demanding a ban on animal products from campuses, but rather that our universities divest from these industries at their outlets just as they have fossil fuels. We are advocating for our academic institutions to act in alignment with the best interests of future generations now.