Comparative Life Cycle Assessment highlights environmental benefits of plant-based meats

A detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted by EarthShift Global for The Good Food Institute (GFI) demonstrates that plant-based meats offer substantial environmental advantages over conventional animal-based meats. The ISO-certified analysis compared six production systems, covering three plant-based and three conventional meat types, evaluating processes from resource cultivation to manufacturing.

The findings highlight plant-based meats as a practical solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and land use while meeting nutritional demands.

The study evaluated the environmental impacts of producing 1 kilogram of ground meat, encompassing both plant- and animal-based systems. The plant-based products analyzed included those derived from yellow peas using low-moisture extrusion (LME) and high-moisture extrusion (HME), as well as soy-based products. Conventional meats studied included ground beef, pork, and chicken.

This comprehensive assessment examined 18 environmental impact categories and adhered to ISO 14040 and 14044 standards. Key life cycle stages such as crop cultivation, protein fractionation, extrusion, animal husbandry, and slaughtering were included in the cradle-to-manufacturing gate analysis, excluding packaging, storage, and distribution.

The study revealed significant reductions in environmental impacts for plant-based meats compared to conventional animal-based meats. On average, plant-based systems demonstrated an 89% lower environmental impact across most categories. Beef exhibited the highest environmental burden, with impacts 91% greater than plant-based alternatives. Pork and chicken followed, with impacts 88% and 71% higher, respectively.

These reductions are largely attributed to the absence of resource-intensive processes such as feed production, enteric fermentation, and manure management, which are inherent in animal husbandry. By contrast, the environmental impact of plant-based systems was influenced by energy-intensive stages like wet fractionation and high-moisture extrusion, as well as the use of certain ingredients, such as coconut oil and canola oil, which contributed disproportionately to categories like land use and biodiversity loss.

Among plant-based meats, systems utilizing wet fractionation and high-moisture extrusion for pea- and soy-based products showed higher energy demands compared to those employing dry fractionation and low-moisture extrusion. While still outperforming conventional meats, these processes highlight areas for potential improvement.

Conventional meat production, especially for beef, remains resource-intensive, requiring vast land and water resources and generating substantial greenhouse gas emissions. Chicken, while relatively less impactful among conventional meats, still demonstrated higher environmental burdens than plant-based systems in most categories.

The results emphasize the potential for plant-based meats to align with environmental sustainability goals without compromising on nutritional equivalence. However, the study also highlights opportunities for further reducing the footprint of plant-based products. These include improving the efficiency of fractionation and extrusion processes, exploring alternatives to high-impact oils, and transitioning manufacturing facilities to renewable energy sources.

The LCA findings provide a valuable framework for guiding industry investments, informing regulatory decisions, and educating consumers about the environmental benefits of plant-based diets. Policymakers and stakeholders can leverage these insights to support innovation and drive the adoption of sustainable food systems.

The study included sensitivity analyses to account for variations in energy sources, geographic crop sourcing, and allocation methods. These analyses confirmed that plant-based systems consistently outperformed animal-based meats under all tested scenarios.

Despite this, certain impact categories, such as water use and ecotoxicity, showed overlap in uncertainty ranges, reflecting variability in data and the need for continued refinement in plant-based production practices. For example, the use of specific ingredients or geographic differences in crop sourcing can influence the overall impact of plant-based products.

This assessment underscores the substantial environmental advantages of plant-based meats. By refining production processes and ingredient choices, plant-based producers can achieve even greater sustainability gains. Investment in renewable energy and innovative technologies will be critical for advancing the scalability and efficiency of plant-based food systems.

The study’s findings demonstrate that plant-based meats represent a promising path toward reducing the environmental burden of food production. As the global demand for sustainable protein sources grows, these products are well-positioned to play a central role in transitioning to a more resilient and environmentally responsible food system.

By providing a detailed framework for understanding environmental trade-offs, this report equips industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers with the insights needed to support the development and adoption of plant-based solutions.