Why are alternative proteins considered to be environmentally friendly?

January 5, 2026 •

4 min read

Animal agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for up to one-third of total food-related emissions. That's why alternative proteins are considered to be environmentally friendly, presenting a more sustainable path forward for feeding the world's growing population.

Quick Summary

Alternative proteins use fewer resources like land and water, produce significantly fewer greenhouse gases and pollutants, and support biodiversity preservation compared to conventional animal protein sources. The shift could free up vast tracts of land for restoration.

Key Points

Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Alternative proteins, particularly plant-based and fermented options, generate significantly fewer greenhouse gases than conventional animal agriculture, especially by eliminating methane from ruminants.
Efficient Land Use: Producing alternative proteins requires substantially less land than conventional meat, which frees up vast areas for reforestation and biodiversity restoration.
Conserved Water Resources: The production of alternative proteins is far more water-efficient, reducing the agricultural sector's large freshwater footprint.
Minimized Environmental Pollution: By producing less animal waste and requiring less fertilizer for feed, alternative proteins decrease water pollution from agricultural runoff.
Increased Biodiversity: Less land use and deforestation for pasture and feed crops help protect natural habitats and combat biodiversity loss.
Diverse Protein Portfolio: The variety of alternative protein types, including plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultivated meat, provides a resilient and secure food supply for the future.

The Environmental Case for Alternative Proteins

The rising global population and increased demand for meat are putting immense pressure on the planet's natural resources. The current model of conventional animal agriculture is inefficient and unsustainable, driving deforestation, water scarcity, and pollution. As a response, alternative proteins—which include plant-based, fermentation-derived, cultivated, and insect-based options—are rapidly emerging as a viable and more environmentally sound solution for future food systems.

Significant Reduction in Land Use

One of the most compelling arguments for alternative proteins is their superior land-use efficiency. Conventional livestock farming is extremely land-intensive, requiring vast areas for both grazing and growing feed crops. For instance, it is estimated that animal agriculture uses over two-thirds of the world's agricultural land. Producing a kilogram of beef can require significantly more land than producing a kilogram of plant-based protein.

By contrast, alternative protein production requires a fraction of this space. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) demonstrate that plant-based meats can use up to 99% less land than conventional beef. This drastic reduction could liberate massive tracts of land, paving the way for large-scale reforestation and the restoration of threatened ecosystems, further enhancing carbon sequestration and protecting biodiversity.

Drastically Lower Water Consumption

The environmental benefits extend to water usage, a critical and increasingly scarce resource. Agriculture accounts for the majority of global freshwater withdrawals, with animal farming being a primary driver. The amount of water needed to grow feed and sustain livestock is substantial. Producing just one kilogram of beef requires thousands of liters of water, far surpassing the requirements for plant-based alternatives.

Alternative proteins offer a path toward more equitable water stewardship. Plant-based production, for example, can reduce water usage by up to 95% compared to animal meat. Similarly, cultivated meat production is projected to achieve massive water savings, particularly in comparison to beef. This efficiency is crucial for preserving freshwater reserves and enhancing global water security, especially in drought-prone areas.

Major Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Conventional animal agriculture is a major source of potent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including methane from ruminant animals like cattle. This methane is particularly impactful over the short term. The entire animal agriculture supply chain, from feed production to waste, contributes substantially to global emissions.

Alternative proteins, by eliminating the need for ruminants and a large portion of the feed supply chain, significantly reduce GHG emissions. Life cycle assessments show that plant-based burgers, for example, produce far fewer GHGs than their beef counterparts. While the environmental impact of cultivated meat is still being refined at scale, it is expected to have a substantially lower carbon footprint than conventional meat, especially when powered by renewable energy. Precision fermentation also offers a low-emission production method for protein.

Decreased Pollution and Eutrophication

The environmental footprint of conventional livestock extends beyond just land and GHGs to include significant air and water pollution. Large-scale animal operations produce immense amounts of manure, which, along with synthetic fertilizers for feed crops, leaches nitrogen and phosphorus into waterways. This runoff causes eutrophication, leading to harmful algal blooms and coastal 'dead zones' that devastate marine ecosystems.

Alternative protein production drastically cuts down on this pollution. Plant-based and cultivated meat facilities do not generate animal waste, and their reduced need for feed crops minimizes fertilizer runoff. This cleaner production process results in healthier waterways and ecosystems.

Diverse Production Methods

There are several distinct types of alternative proteins, each with its own sustainable production pathway. This diversity ensures a resilient food supply that is not dependent on a single resource-intensive method.

Types of Alternative Proteins:

Plant-based proteins: Derived directly from plants like soy, peas, and wheat. They are highly efficient in terms of land and water use.
Fermentation-based proteins: Uses microorganisms like fungi (mycoprotein), bacteria, or yeast to create protein-rich biomass in fermenters. This process is highly controllable and resource-efficient.
Cultivated meat: Produced by cultivating animal cells in a controlled environment, eliminating the need to raise and slaughter animals. Production is less land-intensive but requires significant energy, especially at early, small-scale production stages.
Insect-based proteins: Involves farming edible insects such as crickets or mealworms. Insects have a high feed conversion efficiency and require minimal land and water compared to livestock.

Comparison: Alternative vs. Conventional Protein


Environmental Metric	Conventional Animal Protein	Alternative Protein	Citations
GHG Emissions	High (especially methane)	Significantly lower
Land Use	High (for grazing and feed)	Significantly lower
Water Use	High (for feed and livestock)	Significantly lower
Water Pollution	High (from manure and runoff)	Significantly lower
Antibiotic Use	High	None

A Path Towards a Sustainable Future

In conclusion, the environmental benefits of alternative proteins are substantial and well-documented through life cycle assessments. By shifting away from conventional animal agriculture, we can dramatically reduce our impact on the climate, conserve vital land and water resources, and mitigate widespread pollution. The emergence of diverse alternative protein sources, from scalable plant-based options to innovative cultivated and fermentation-based technologies, offers a pragmatic and necessary solution to the challenges of feeding a growing global population sustainably. Public investment and continued innovation in this sector are vital to unlocking its full potential and driving a more resilient, equitable, and environmentally sound food system. Find more in-depth data and research from The Good Food Institute on their website. https://gfi.org/resource/environmental-impacts-of-alternative-proteins/.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main types include plant-based proteins (e.g., soy, pea, wheat), fermentation-derived proteins (e.g., mycoprotein from fungi), cultivated meat (grown from animal cells), and insect-based proteins (e.g., crickets, mealworms).

Alternative proteins can use dramatically less land. For instance, some plant-based options use up to 99% less land than conventional beef, freeing up land for other environmental purposes like ecosystem restoration.

While generally more environmentally friendly than conventional animal protein, there are variations. Plant-based proteins consistently show strong environmental benefits. The impact of cultivated meat is heavily dependent on the energy mix and production scale, with long-term projections showing significant reductions, though some early analyses had different findings.

Alternative proteins are far more water-efficient. The production of plant-based and cultivated protein eliminates the large water needs associated with growing feed crops and providing water for livestock.

Yes, they produce significantly fewer greenhouse gases. Conventional livestock, especially cattle, release large amounts of potent methane, while alternative proteins bypass this emission source almost entirely.

By eliminating animal waste and reducing the need for fertilizers, alternative protein production minimizes the agricultural runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus that leads to water pollution, like harmful algal blooms and coastal dead zones.

Yes, the environmental benefits are confirmed by scientific research. Extensive and publicly available life cycle assessments (LCAs) have repeatedly shown that alternative proteins have a lower environmental impact across various metrics compared to conventional animal protein.