How the Open Wing Alliance changed the world for chickens in 2022

With 95 member organizations spanning 67 countries, the Open Wing Alliance collaborates to make progress for chickens at every level—from negotiating with the world’s biggest corporations to end the use of restrictive cages, to taking to the streets with protests and grassroots outreach. The shared knowledge and combined efforts of thousands of activists have the power to make waves through the entire global food industry. Together, OWA changed the lives of millions of chickens in 2022.

Making progress for chickens worldwide

Thanks to the Open Wing Alliance's relentless campaign work, more corporations are committing to phasing out cruel battery cages from their global supply chains. In 2022, the OWA secured global commitments from 25 companies across the restaurant, hospitality, and retail sectors, including GateGroup, Nando's, and Majid Al Futtaim. These massive commitments can influence entire industries to ditch battery cages, making intensive confinement a thing of the past.

Alliance members made inroads for animals by convincing companies to adopt better welfare policies for egg-laying hens and chickens raised for meat on a regional and country level. In total, the coalition secured nearly 200 corporate commitments to end the worst abuses chickens face on factory farms in 2022 alone. Since OWA launched in 2016, the coalition has fought for—and won—over 3,000 commitments to spare chickens from abuse.

This past year, the OWA achieved a campaign milestone—launching and winning a campaign against Japanese food company Toridoll. Toridoll's commitment is the first global cage-free policy from a major multinational company in Japan, the world's 8th largest egg producer. The policy stands to impact over 40,000 hens in Japan alone by the end of 2023, and it also marks an exciting shift for animal welfare in Asia as a whole. The Toridoll campaign was OWA's first time targeting a company headquartered in Asia, and its success will increase the coalition's momentum in the region.

Alongside our work to secure new animal welfare commitments, the coalition also worked hard to ensure that companies followed through on their existing animal welfare policies. The OWA closely monitored each company's actions on animal welfare, and found that a vast majority—over 88%—came through on their promises to end cages on time. An additional 4% publicly reported progress. 

And, when companies don't follow through on their commitments, OWA activists hold them accountable. The coalition's first accountability campaign, the Heartless Hospitality report, called out cruise lines, hotels, and travel companies that didn't act on their promises to end the worst forms of abuse for chickens. Because OWA wouldn't accept empty promises, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Four Seasons Hotels, and Langham Hospitality Group all came through and reported progress on their commitments to end the use of cages in their supply chains.

Growing and learning, together

The Open Wing Alliance’s success depends on the collaboration of thousands of activists across regions. In 2022, we expanded our reach and welcomed fourteen new animal welfare groups from Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the APAC region. Together, we grew our knowledge, support, and resources to become an even stronger force against animal cruelty worldwide.

The 2022 Global Summit & Regional Summits

Even though the ongoing pandemic prevented us from getting together in person, the online annual Open Wing Alliance Global Summit provided valuable space for collaboration and connection. The 271 attendees gathered from June 14-16 for presentations, workshops, and expert interviews on topics including broiler chicken welfare, accountability campaigns, engaging government leaders, and more!

OWA Latin America also hosted their first in-person summit since 2019. Members from 16 different organizations across Latin America built strong connections, shared knowledge, and felt energized and empowered by a strong sense of community and shared mission. They left the summit inspired to create 2023 goals based on their new learnings.

Meanwhile, the OWA Asia Summit brought together activists from 17 countries to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities they experience campaigning for animal welfare across Asia. They shared the efforts and best practices they gathered from their public outreach and campaigning, learned about potential campaign targets, and set the stage for more animal welfare progress in their region.

And in November 2022, OWA Africa held their second in-person summit in Cape Town, South Africa. Activists from all over the continent shared and strengthened their strategic expertise with three days of training and collaboration, culminating in the launch of OWA Africa’s first coordinated regional campaign against Pick N Pay, a regional retailer headquartered in South Africa. This year, OWA coalition members are putting more pressure on Pick N Pay to eliminate cages through impactful online actions and protests.

Building capacity

Open Wing Alliance also provided vital funding to change the lives of chickens. In March 2022, OWA awarded $2,134,000 in grants to 41 member organizations to support regional corporate campaign work, allowing coalition members to secure more commitments to end the worst forms of cruelty that chickens experience. The OWA is planning on awarding 2.4 million in grants in 2023, empowering more activists to engage in ambitious campaign work and better the lives of chickens.

Looking ahead

The OWA has achieved so much for animals since we started in 2016. In 2023, we’re going to build on the momentum we’ve already created by expanding into key regions that will be critical in the fight to end cages—the Middle East, and Southeast and Central Asia. We’ll be growing our team to better support our members, increase our corporate relations and campaign capacity, and build out a training committee to scale up personalized trainings. We’re also excited to host our first in-person Global Summit since 2019. We’ve already changed the lives of millions of chickens worldwide. Together, we can change the lives of millions more in the years to come.

How you can help

Our work to end the abuse of chickens wouldn’t be possible without the compassion and hard work of thousands of activists around the world. But you don’t have to be a seasoned activist to change the world for chickens. We all have the power to demand corporate giants eliminate the use of cruel battery cages. Signing a petition could make a world of difference for hens suffering through life on factory farms—and help bring us closer to a world where no animal endures abuse.