The year 2020 has been a challenging and turbulent year for many fellow singaporeans. We have had the coronavirus pandemic make millions of people sick (thousands here in Singapore), the Circuit Breaker measures halt business operations permanently, and individuals losing jobs because of the decline in our economy.

Through this phenomenal time, BELLY UP has tried to turn a negative to a positive and opportune moment for the pet supplies industry in Singapore. Till date, we are thankful for all your support since May 2020 when we launched. Your purchases have gone into supporting sustainable farming, eco-friendly produce, and animal welfare groups.

Here’s a look at what we have achieved, together, as a #treatbetter community.

Our Achievements

BELLY UP began as a social enterprise to benefit Animal Welfare Groups (AWGs) here in Singapore. There was a stark gap that needed to be filled due to pandemic resources being hauled towards helping to keep the economy afloat.

Till date, we are proud of your contributions to this initiative, and we are glad to share that we have donated every dollar of BELLY UP’s profits in 2020 to AWGs in Singapore. This contribution has benefitted four local animal charities; Exclusively Mongrels, Save Our Street Dogs, Purely Adoptions, and The Sand Fund. We are ecstatic to share this news with you, and we hope to provide more for these animal charities in the coming years.

For the year of 2021, we are looking for more AWGs to support, and also other initiatives that need a hand; such as empowering women in the workplace, supporting diversity and equality, and also partnering with small local businesses to drive our singaporean economy forward.

Our Sustainability

In 2020, together, we have promoted the consumption of more than 133KG of sustainably-sourced meat, and more than 252KG of wild-caught seafood.

Seafood is an important source of protein to more than 3 billion people on our planet, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Therefore, we must continue to ensure that we advocate for sustainably-sourced seafood to restore marine biodiversity and coastal livelihoods.

According to the United States Food & Drug Administration (US FDA), and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), the consumption of sustainable seafood such as wild-caught mussels has helped to improve water quality of oceans, restore shellfish populations, and also create new jobs and educational opportunities for coastal communities. Mussels are filter feeders, and they encourage a cleaner oceanic environment in the open waters that they thrive in.

Some common environmental impacts of meat production includes pollution from usage of fossil fuels, animal methane, effluent waste, and water and land consumption. Meat production is the most energy and water intensive industry in the world, consuming up to 10 times the amount of water than an average crop such as soy, per unit mass produced. By going vegan, you can save almost 376,000 liters of water according to the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

However, our furkids rely on a high protein diet to survive, and we should not deprive them of their biologically appropriate diet.

By choosing sustainably-sourced meat, we are able to promote what is often called natural carbon sequestration or a carbon sink. A carbon sink is anything that absorbs more carbon than it releases carbon dioxide. This means that the farmlands in which we raise our cows decrease the carbon footprint globally, instead of increase them, through a mixed growth of grass and other types of vegetation.

The water that is used to maintain these pastures are also consistently recycled back into the ecosystem, causing the water usage in our supply chains to be a fraction of traditional meat production, and instead, closer to the amount of water used to farm soy. This means that for every unit of meat that we consume, we have saved millions of liters of water in the process too.

Our People

Through supporting honest and conscious pet supplies, you have directly benefited more than 700 individuals in the sustainable pet supplies industry who believe in this cause. These people come from around the world, with diverse backgrounds, all working towards a common goal of producing honest, conscious products for you and your pets. 

We are excited to continue working with you to keep this supply chain alive, even after the pandemic plagued most industries in 2020.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021!

This past year has pained many communities globally, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. With the availability of a cure to the coronavirus pandemic, and economies stabilising from the March and April lows, we sincerely hope that everyone will end 2020 on a positive note. The uncertainty will be over soon, and we welcome 2021 with greater plans than we have ever had.

Together, let us bolster our movement forward, to high-quality, natural, and premium pet treats for a #treatbetter 2021.

Wishing You A Blessed New Year!
xo
Nellie