Since debuting the vegan Beyond Burger a few years ago, plant-based protein leader Beyond Meat has emphasized the fact that, by taking animals out of the equation, this signature meatless burger comes with a much lower environmental impact than a traditional beef burger. However, the company hasn’t given us any exact figures on just how much better their plant-sourced burgers are for the planet … until now!
In an effort to gauge how well they’re doing from a sustainability perspective (and offer concrete proof for any skeptics out there), Beyond Meat recently commissioned the Center for Sustainable Systems at University of Michigan to complete a Life Cycle Analysis on the environmental impact of the Beyond Burger as compared to a conventional beef burger of the same size.
As we expected, this just-released report proves that the Beyond Burger is far superior from an environmental standpoint. After all, versus producing a standard, quarter-pound U.S. beef burger patty, producing a quarter-pound Beyond Burger takes:
- 99 percent less water
- 93 percent less land
- 90 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions
- Nearly 50 percent less energy
That’s a jaw-dropping difference!
As study co-author Martin Heller, who is a research specialist for The Center for Sustainable Systems at The University of Michigan, reportedly described the analysis, “We conducted a rigorous analysis of the Beyond Burger’s environmental footprint, from producing raw ingredients through delivery to retailers.”
He continued, “Our report then underwent an independent peer review process that validated our approach and the results, showing the overwhelming benefits that The Beyond Burger offers over beef. We know that, in general, plant-based foods have lower impacts than beef, but very few studies have looked directly at commercially available products. This study confirms that products made to look and taste like beef can have significantly lower impacts as well.”
Indeed, this report offers even more evidence that plant-based products of all sorts are better for the Earth by a long shot, and everyone should be eating them! Further, it solidifies Beyond Meat’s status as a true global sustainability pioneer making huge strides to protect our one and only planet!
To learn more about why we love this plant-based protein innovator and you should, too, check out this recent episode of #EatForThePlanet with Nil Zacharias featuring Ethan Brown.
Image Source: Beyond Meat/Facebook