Plant-Based Meat Cuts Environmental Impact by 89%, Study Finds

Multiple studies have found that plant-based meat is significantly better for the environment than animal meat

23rd November 2024

2 Minutes Read

A new life cycle assessment of plant-based meat has found that meat alternatives have an 89 percent lower environmental impact than traditional animal-based proteins.

The Good Food Institute (GFI) and EarthShift Global carried out the life cycle assessment (LCA) and described the project as “the most comprehensive, open-access analysis” to date.

The ISO-certified LCA directly compared the environmental impact of plant-based meat and animal-based meat production. It also evaluated the impact of alternative proteins produced with different raw materials, ingredients, and methods, such as pea protein versus soy protein.

Plant-based meat has, on average, 89 percent less environmental impact than traditional meat across all impact categories. Furthermore, plant-based meat’s environmental impact is 91 percent lower than beef, 88 percent lower than pork, and 71 percent lower than chicken.

Overall, plant-based meat uses 79 percent less land, 95 percent less water, and produces 93 percent water pollution. Efficient, low-impact meat alternatives also produce 89 percent fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 89 percent less air pollution.

GFI is holding a webinar on December 3, 2024, to explore the LCA in detail.

Plant-based alternatives more sustainable and healthier than meat

Photo shows the refrigerated vegetarian section of a Dutch supermarket — Adobe Stock Another report from earlier this year suggested that most plant-based alternatives were healthier than animal-based meat, as well as more sustainable

A report by The Food Foundation earlier this year also stated that plant-based alternatives are better for the planet than their animal-based equivalents. The report noted that plant-based alternatives are mostly lower in salt, sugar, and saturated fat, too.

At the start of November, French biotech company Bon Vivant unveiled its own LCA specifically for precision fermented milk proteins, finding them significantly more sustainable. Bon Vivant reported that precision fermented milk proteins produced 72 percent fewer GHGs and required 81 percent less water and 99 percent less arable land.

If plant-based alternatives could capture half of the global protein market, the reduction in animal products would cut GHGs more than the entire electric vehicle sector.