Veganism is a way of living that seeks to avoid — as far as is practicable — all forms of exploitation of and cruelty to sentient animals for food, clothing and other purposes, because otherwise fundamental ethical rights are violated.

Vegans hold that elementary human rights such as the right to bodily integrity and the right to life must be extended to animals, because there is no ethically significant difference that would explain why humans should have these fundamental rights and animals should not.

• Broadly speaking, all animal products are therefore avoided for primarily ethical reasons. In terms of diet, and other than in survival situations, this generally rules out eating animal bodies (meat, fish, insects and others), all forms of animal mother's milk (milk, cheese, chocolate, other animal dairy products) and other animal secretions (eggs, honey, caviar and others).
• Beyond that, the use of animal skins and furs is generally not possible without violating the ethical rights of animals, which means that leather, fur, wool, silk, feathers and other clothing of animal origin should not be used either.
• Non-essential products that are tested on animals in cruel experiments — such as cosmetics and various hygiene products, along with their animal-derived ingredients — are by definition also not vegan.
• Abusing sentient beings likewise includes using animals as instruments for human entertainment, as happens in rodeos, circuses, zoos, aquariums and so on.
• Trading in and breeding animals as merchandise, for example in the pet or pet food industry, is to be rejected as unethical as well.