Overview
Animal citizenship represents the leadership aspect of a brand’s relationship with animal welfare and protection. This area evaluates how a brand goes beyond baseline expectations to advocate for stronger animal welfare outcomes, support systemic change, and respond to major controversies or emerging risks.
This area is important because a brand’s approach to animals is often most visible through its public commitments, industry leadership, and response to animal welfare incidents. High performance in animal citizenship indicates that a brand is not only managing risks within its own supply chain, but is actively contributing to broader improvements for animals across industries and sectors.
Industry verticals: Fashion, Beauty, Services, Retailer
Applicable for: small and large brands
What is assessed?
Good On You assesses two primary issues within animal citizenship: positive advocacy and leadership, and remediation and accountability.
Positive advocacy and leadership
Brands are evaluated on their involvement in initiatives that improve animal welfare standards or reduce reliance on animal-derived products. This includes:
Participating in initiatives or coalitions focused on improving animal welfare outcomes (eg Four Paws)
Supporting the development or adoption of non-animal alternatives, such as working on solutions that involve non-animal testing in regions where testing is typically mandatory
Remediation and accountability
The methodology considers whether a brand has been linked to significant animal welfare controversies or breaches within the last five years, and if so, how the brand responded.
If the brand removed suppliers, materials, or practices linked to animal welfare harms
Public acknowledgement of the issue and a disclosure of the brand’s response
Actions taken to prevent the issue from reoccurring
Disclosure requirements and best practices
Good On You primarily relies on a brand’s public website and formal sustainability, CSR, or ESG reports. For animal citizenship, we also reference:
Reporting by NGOs or investigative journalists
Multi-stakeholder initiative (MSI) membership list
Regulatory bodies
Best practice and common pitfalls
Best practice principles
Demonstrating leadership in reducing or eliminating reliance on animal-derived materials, for instance, participating in leather traceability schemes
Supporting stronger animal welfare standards across industries
Publicly disclosing animal welfare incidents and implementing credible remediation
Investing in innovative non-animal alternative materials
Common pitfalls
Tokenistic or unclear remediation: Acknowledging an issue occurred in their supply chain, but not implementing clear remediation
Are members of MSIs but do not take an active role in their running