Boardrooms to Runways: How PETA is Transforming Industries with Emily Guice, PETA

Creating a Kinder World: How PETA’s Corporate Outreach Is Transforming Industries

When most people think of PETA, they picture bold campaigns and powerful visuals that challenge the way we view animals. But behind the scenes, there’s another kind of activism happening, one that’s quietly reshaping global industries. Leading that charge is Emily Guice, Assistant Manager of Corporate Responsibility at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Her work focuses on collaborating directly with corporations to eliminate animal use from their supply chains and replace outdated systems with compassionate, innovative alternatives. As she explains, “So many people don’t ask questions about where things come from, and honestly, I was guilty of that myself.”

Emily’s journey began with a deep love for her childhood pets but little awareness of the suffering behind animal-based products. “I did not grow up vegan or vegetarian,” she recalls. “It wasn’t until college that I came across a vegetarian group that taught me about factory farms. I realized animals like pigs and chickens can feel pain, suffering, and joy in the same way that the animals who share our homes can.”

That realization changed everything. After seeing footage of dairy cows separated from their calves and hooked to industrial milking machines, Emily wrote her undergraduate thesis on the dairy industry. “When I learned that 200 animals are saved every year just by going vegan, I thought, how could I not?”

Corporate Change Through Compassion

Today, Emily leads PETA’s efforts to engage corporations in creating lasting change. One of her most impactful recent projects was helping major coffee chains eliminate extra charges for plant-based milk.

“For years, consumers had to pay fifty cents to over a dollar more for vegan milk in their coffee,” she says. “We found out many of these companies were profiting millions from those surcharges. It was discriminatory and unfair.”

After PETA’s campaign gained public and celebrity attention even actor James Cromwell famously glued his hand to a Starbucks counter in protest, Starbucks’ new CEO finally listened. “He made the decision to drop the upcharge,” Emily says. “And then came the domino effect: Dunkin’, Dutch Bros, Peet’s Coffee, Tim Hortons, they all followed. It was a huge win for cows and for customers alike.”

Fighting Animal Exploitation in Tourism

Emily’s work also extends to the travel industry, where animal cruelty often hides behind the label of “cultural experiences.” PETA has been instrumental in convincing companies like TripAdvisor, Booking.com, and Expedia to ban harmful animal attractions such as elephant rides and dolphin encounters.

“In 2016, TripAdvisor released the first-ever animal welfare policy banning elephant rides and swim-with-dolphin programs,” Emily explains. “That decision set off a global domino effect. When one industry leader makes the change, the others follow.”

More recently, PETA Asia exposed horrific treatment of camels and horses used for tourist rides at Egypt’s Giza Pyramid Complex. “These animals were forced to work in extreme heat without food or water, and many were left to die on the roadside,” Emily says. “We reached out to companies like Airbnb and Marriott, and they took action. Now there’s even an electric bus system being introduced to replace the rides.”

For Emily, these victories prove that progress is possible. “Companies started telling us, ‘We didn’t know this was happening and we’re embarrassed that it was part of our supply chain.’ That’s the kind of shift that creates real change.”

Advocating for Animals in Entertainment

PETA’s influence has also reached Hollywood. Since the early 2000s, the organization has persuaded major studios and ad agencies to stop using great apes and other wild animals in film and advertising.

“Virtually no one in Hollywood uses great apes anymore,” Emily says. “It’s considered entirely taboo.”

Now, PETA is taking on the use of purebred dogs in advertising, particularly French bulldogs and pugs. “People think they’re cute, but their smushed faces are the result of severe genetic manipulation,” she explains. “They struggle to breathe every day. That’s not adorable, that’s cruelty.”

By working with the Ad Council and top agencies, PETA is helping reduce demand for breeds that suffer from lifelong health problems.

Building Humane Solutions

Beyond awareness, Emily emphasizes practical solutions. “Our approach is about finding shared values,” she says. “When we approach a pizza chain about adding vegan cheese, we show them the business opportunity, millions of consumers avoid dairy. And we connect them with suppliers to make it easy.”

She highlights a growing trend of corporations recognizing that kindness and profitability aren’t mutually exclusive. From American Airlines adding vegan egg scrambles to in-flight menus to nearly every major airline now offering oat milk creamer, progress is accelerating. “These are small changes with big impact,” Emily notes. “They show that vegan options are no longer niche ,they’re mainstream.”

A Broader Vision for the Future

Emily believes that every consumer plays a role in driving change. “A dollar spent is a vote,” she says. “When customers buy compassionate products, they’re telling companies, ‘Give us more of this.’”

She points to the fur industry as proof that consumer awareness works. “When PETA started, fur was a $20 billion industry in the U.S. Today, virtually no major brand sells fur. The same transformation is now happening with leather, wool, and exotic skins.”

Her message is clear: “Change can feel slow, but we’ve come so far. Companies listen to consumers. They want to sell to people who care about animals and the planet.”

Join The Movement

For those inspired to make a difference, Emily encourages visiting PETA.org. “You can learn about issues, find vegan lifestyle resources, and even take direct action,” she says. “We have template letters that anyone can send to companies urging them to make compassionate choices. Every voice matters.”

Through empathy, persistence, and strategic collaboration, Emily Guice and PETA are proving that compassion has a place in every boardroom and business plan. As more corporations commit to ethical supply chains and cruelty-free practices, the future of sustainability is becoming inseparable from animal welfare.

To learn more about PETA’s corporate initiatives and take action for animals, visit PETA.org.