Climate impact of plant-based meat analogues- what do we know?

To increase knowledge about the climate impact of plant-based meat analogues, RISE performed a review article of life cycle assessments that was recently published in a scientific journal. Median climate impact of plant-based meat analogues was estimated at 1.7 kg CO2 eq./kg of product with a more than fourfold variation in impact.

"The results from the study show that the climate impact of plant-based meat analogues is generally lower than red meat and cheese, but not always lower in comparison to chicken fish and eggs. The climate impact is often higher than for other plant-based foods such as pulses and cereals", says Elinor Hallström, researcher at RISE.

The study showed that current scientific knowledge on the climate impact of plant-based meat analogues is based on a limited number of life cycle assessments that often rely on data from production at pilot-scale or secondary data.

"The results also show a large variation between different plant-based meat analogues. The choice of raw material, cultivation conditions and protein separation technique will for example affect the overall climate impact, which shows good opportunities for improvement in future product development", says Elinor Hallström.

Authors: Kavitha Shanmugam, Susanne Bryngelsson, Karin Östergren, Elinor Hallström

Link to the publication Climate Impact of Plant-based Meat Analogues: A Review of Life Cycle Assessments