Luxury and high street fashion brands are at risk of funding Amazon deforestation because of their links to the leather industry, new research published this week has revealed.

For many vegans, our love affair with the humble chickpea knows no bounds. Where would we be without our hummus, fresh falafel or chana masala? Chickpeas are an important and more sustainable source of protein for those who refuse to eat animals, but now a new study aims to show they could in fact feed the world and eliminate hunger completely.

A new report has challenged the commonly-held misconception that wool is one of the most sustainable materials for clothing. According to researchers, the fashion industry is at the heart of steps to reverse our dependence on destructive wool production.

After two weeks of negotiations, speeches, industry lobbying and civil society actions, the UN Climate Summit COP26 has ended with the Glasgow Climate Pact, an agreement between almost 200 nations on how to keep the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement alive. Yet it’s business-as-usual for animals, writes Claire Hamlett.

WEEKEND READ: Do children know what they’re eating when their parents give them bacon and eggs? According to a new study, children aged seven and younger frequently don’t understand that meat - and to a lesser extent eggs and dairy - comes from animals, yet often classify animals as “not OK to eat”.

OPINION: The announcement by Nestlé of its new plant-based range was met with furious indignation from farmers who accused the food giant of ‘virtue signalling’. But where was their recognition of hypocrisy when dairy farming was linked to deforestation, asks Claire Hamlett.

Food at COP26 might be labelled to show its carbon footprint, raising awareness of meat and dairy’s disproportionate impact compared to vegan alternatives, but why are politicians both local and national so averse to anything ‘plant-based’?

The 26th UN Climate Summit in Glasgow is in full swing and world leaders are attempting to hash out a climate action plan commensurate with the scale of the crisis the world faces. But campaigners and activists have warned that without prioritising the reform of food systems and particularly animal agriculture - a major global contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and habitat destruction - plans will inevitably fall short.

TRENDS: Between 2008 and 2019, the average daily meat consumption in the UK fell by around 17g per person with the greatest reduction in cow and processed flesh, a new study by researchers from the University of Oxford has found.

OPINION: The mass killing of 1,428 white-sided dolphins in the Faroe Islands as part of the grind - a scale of slaughter so great as to turn the stomachs of locals who have previously supported the ‘tradition’ - has prompted the Faroese prime minister to pledge a review of the hunt. But after years of increasing worldwide attention and condemnation, why has it taken so long and will it amount to anything?

NEWS: 90 per cent of all the money given to farmers in taxpayer-funded government hand-outs every year is damaging to people’s health, the environment and drives inequality, according to a new report released by three UN agencies ahead of the UN Foods Systems Summit next week.

BLOG: In a desperate attempt to make raising cows less damaging to the environment, scientists have come up with a ridiculous solution: teach cows to poo and wee in ‘toilets’. Why come up with a quick fix when the real answer is obvious?