Sparks Bristol encouraged shoppers to take the Veganuary Challenge
Bristol’s ‘department store with a difference’ is encouraging its visitors to take on Veganuary to help the planet
After all the festive fizz, mince pies and maybe one-too-many chocolate creams, January often feels like a fresh start and what better way to begin than with Veganuary. Launched in 2014, Veganuary is a not-for-profit run challenge to go vegan for the month of January. That means eating, drinking, shopping and living in a way that’s kinder to animals and the planet, and Sparks Bristol is the perfect place to find out how to get started.
Going vegan for just one month can make a huge difference. According to Veganuary, if one person goes vegan for 31 days, they’ll save around 124,900 litres of water, 84 square metres of forest, 273 kg of CO₂ and the lives of 30 animals.
Going vegan doesn’t mean missing out on flavour and Sparks’ Busy V Bakery is an independent vegan bakery run by baker Lorna whose cakes, brownies and savouries are 100% plant-based. And for those on-the-go snack attacks, the Vegan Vending Machine at Sparks offers ethical, plant-based nibbles. One of four machines in Bristol supplied by local entrepreneur Remi, it’s packed great grab and go options for shoppers to enjoy.
For those wanting to try their hand at cooking their own vegan meals this January, the Sparks in-store ethical bookshop Mother Works Hard has a host of lifestyle and cookbooks, or visitors can head to veganuary.com for more recipes.
At Sparks, being vegan isn’t just about food. Visitors to Sparks are encouraged to step inside The Ethical Gift Shop, to find everything from cruelty-free cosmetics and vegan skincare to plant wax candles. Over at the Emalolabella shop, shoppers can find kitsch Vegan Taxidermy, from mushrooms to sell-out papier-mâché sardines as seen in the recent 2025 RWA open exhibition.
Sparks is also encouraging those wanting to make a difference to the planet this year to bring Veganuary into the workplace too, challenging colleagues to join in, swap recipe ideas, or hosting a vegan lunch club. To support Veganuary in store, Sparks will be doing a ‘Veganuary challenge’ where customers are invited to engage with traders to get a vegan fact and add it to a trail sheet. These can be handed in to the cafe and a winner will be chosen to win a prize.
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