IUCN and vegan gummy candy producer Katjes partner to strengthen IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has entered a partnership with Katjes, a German-based producer of vegan gummy candies, which will contribute to the completion of the first global assessment of marine fishes conducted by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.
A special edition pack of gummy candies will be produced by Katjes representing flagship species of the IUCN Red List, such as the Critically Endangered Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and the Vulnerable giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).
As part of the 3-year agreement, Katjes aims to produce 1 million units of the Katjes X Red List gummy candies and sell them throughout 2025 in its online shop and retail chains in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. For every pack sold, Katjes will contribute 5 cents to the IUCN Red List.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity, telling us what we need to know to save wild species. So far, over 166,000 species have been assessed.
Donations to the IUCN Red List help ensure the monitoring and reassessment of all comprehensively assessed species and expand coverage to include taxa not yet represented. Katjes’ contribution to the IUCN Red List global marine fishes assessment will focus specifically on species in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Regions.
Katjes is known for manufacturing purely vegetarian gummies using plant-based alternatives instead of gelatin, with a significant part of its product assortment consisting of vegan gummies.