Home / Weak arguments / Purity and invented rules
"Anyone who buys products from big companies isn't vegan."
They create demands veganism does not make and push away people who might join, without helping a single animal.
Why it is weak
Veganism is about the exploitation of animals. A vegan product from a big company involves no animal exploitation in the product itself. Criticisms of big companies can be legitimate, but they are a different discussion.
This demand makes veganism more expensive and harder, especially for those with less access, and pushes people away without saving a single animal.
Buying the vegan version from a company that also sells animal products can expand the vegan supply and signal demand. It is something to judge by its effect, not a purity test.
How to say it better
If you have criticisms of a company, present them as criticisms of that company. For the animals, what counts is reducing demand for exploitation, and vegan products in ordinary stores usually help with that.
This doesn't mean every strategy, intervention and current is equally good for animals. There may well be a better path, and it should be sought in the evidence: what makes people consider animals, how to save more animals and which interventions work best. The evidence may favor one side. That doesn't stop people from different currents becoming vegan and then revising their moral and political views in other areas, seeking an even greater overall impact.