New Commercial-Scale LCA Shows Plant-Based Meat Cuts Environmental Impact by 89%

Newswise — This report presents the key findings and opportunities from the ISO-certified comparative life cycle assessment of plant-based and animal-based meat (Bonales et al. 2024) conducted by the Good Food Institute (GFI) and EarthShift Global. It is the most comprehensive, open-access analysis of plant-based meat’s environmental impacts to date.

Reducing the environmental impacts of food production, particularly meat production, is critical to support global food security and address climate change, pollution, and resource depletion. Alternative proteins—meat made from plants, cultivated from animal cells, or produced via fermentation—offer more sustainable protein sources while maintaining the meat-eating experience. Plant-based meat, with its growing market share and widespread accessibility, is positioned as a key part of a reimagined protein supply. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an internationally recognized method used to quantify the environmental impacts of a product across its life cycle, including all relevant inputs and outputs. Policymakers, investors, companies, and consumers rely on LCA data to guide decisions that promote sustainable agricultural practices and a secure food supply.

To evaluate the potential of plant-based meat to reduce the environmental impacts of the food system, GFI commissioned a comprehensive, ISO-certified LCA with two primary goals:

• To compare the environmental impacts of plant-based meat and animal-based meat production

• To evaluate the environmental impacts of plant-based meats produced using different raw materials and production methods.

Top takeaways:

• Plant-based meat has, on average, 89% less environmental impact than animal-based meat across the impact categories evaluated in this study.
• Plant-based meat has, on average, 91% lower impacts than beef, 88% lower impacts than pork, and 71% lower impacts than chicken across the impact categories evaluated in this study.