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Context: Animal production plays a critical role in many global challenges around sustainability, including climate change and resilience, One Health and food security. With this role comes pressures on livestock welfare. Aims: This paper demonstrates key contributions animal welfare makes to global sustainability challenges. Methods: This paper highlights 'win–win' improvements for both animal welfare and other aspects of sustainability by using the following four case studies: tail docking Australian sheep, agroforestry systems in Ethiopia, the Australian dairy-beef industry, and strategic feeding of goats in Pakistan. Key results: These case studies show how animal welfare can be improved alongside livelihoods. However, even in these win–win situations, the adoption of improved practices is not guaranteed. Conclusions: Long-term, sustained change in animal welfare can simultaneously make in roads to other challenges around sustainability. To do this, we must have a broader understanding of the system in which the animals are raised, so that barriers to change can be identified. Implications: Lessons from these case studies can be applied to other production contexts and challenges, highlighting the universal value of understanding and addressing animal welfare. Global challenges around sustainability are putting different pressures on the welfare of livestock. This paper highlights 'win–win' improvements for both animal welfare and other aspects of sustainability, but even in these win–win situations, the adoption of improved practices is not a guarantee for a myriad of external factors. By having a better understanding of the system in which animals are raised, a broader understanding of an animal's welfare, and acknowledging the emotional states that animals experience, progress towards improving welfare and, ultimately, addressing some of these global challenges, can be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]