What are your thoughts on “animal-free” animal products? We now have artificial milk created via yeast fermentation to produce dairy proteins, and cultured meat grown directly from animal cells. Both topics are distinct and can be regarded separately.
As long as no sentient beings were used without their consent (e.g. to extract genetic material), then I see no ethical issue from a vegan point of view. I do have to question though, on a finite planet with an ever-worsening ecological catastrophe, whether developing such products is an irresponsible use of time and energy and material resources.
That’s a great question. I do not yet know enough about the production to answer that. Probably it’s better than harming animals.