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Food

Plant-based burger patty (e.g. Beyond Meat)

Kasvispohjainen hampurilaispihvi (esim. Beyond Meat)

2.0
Truecost score
Data confidence: MEDIUM

LCA data from University of Michigan is methodologically sound but industry-commissioned. Independent replication limited.

A plant-based burger patty produces ~0.5 kg CO₂e — about 90% less than an equivalent beef patty. Most emissions come from ingredient production and refrigerated transport.

Did you know? Swapping a beef burger for a plant burger once a week for a year saves ~230 kg CO₂ — equivalent to driving 1,500 km less.
Transparent calculation

How was this number determined?

The Truecost score is calculated from absolute physical values. Each row below shows the measured value, how it was normalized, and where it comes from.

Dimension Absolute value Score 100 = Normalized Weight Weighted Confidence
Carbon Emissions 0.5 kg CO₂e 9.5 kg CO₂e 5.26 ×0.35 1.84 MEDIUM
Water Consumption 1.1 liters 3840 liters 0.03 ×0.2 0.01 MEDIUM
Land Use 0.3 m²·year 51 m²·year 0.59 ×0.2 0.12 MEDIUM
Waste 0.02 kg 5 kg 0.4 ×0.15 0.06 MEDIUM
Toxicity 0.2 µDALY 162 µDALY 0.12 ×0.1 0.01 LOW
Truecost score (weighted sum) 2.0

Share of your annual planetary budget

Carbon Emissions 0.05%
Water Consumption <0.01%
Land Use <0.01%
Waste <0.01%
Toxicity <0.01%
Source data by dimension

Where do the absolute values come from?

Carbon Emissions
MEDIUM
University of Michigan CSS (2018, updated 2023): Beyond Burger 3.0 produces 0.43 kg CO₂e + 0.06 kg from land use change = 0.49 kg CO₂e per quarter-pound (113g) patty. Beyond Burger 4.0: 88% less GHG than equivalent beef patty. Rounding to 0.5 kg CO₂e.
  • Heller & Keoleian (2018): Beyond Meat's Beyond Burger Life Cycle Assessment — University of Michigan CSS Report CSS18-10
  • University of Michigan CSS (2023): Beyond Burger 4.0 LCA update

LCA commissioned by Beyond Meat (potential bias). Independent verification limited. Range 0.3-0.7 kg CO₂e depending on product and production location. 88-90% less than beef.

Water Consumption
MEDIUM
University of Michigan CSS: Beyond Burger uses >99% less water scarcity impact than beef patty. ~1.1 L equivalent water scarcity per patty vs ~218 L for beef patty.
  • Heller & Keoleian (2018): Beyond Burger LCA — University of Michigan CSS

Industry-commissioned study. Water scarcity impact metric differs from total water use.

Land Use
MEDIUM
University of Michigan CSS: Beyond Burger uses 93% less land than beef. ~0.3 m²·year per patty vs ~3.8 m² for beef patty.
  • Heller & Keoleian (2018): Beyond Burger LCA — University of Michigan CSS

93% less than beef. Plant protein production far more land-efficient.

Waste
MEDIUM
Packaged in plastic tray + film. ~20g packaging per 2-pack = ~10g per patty + trimming waste.

More packaging than loose ground beef. Plastic packaging not always recyclable.

Toxicity
LOW
Processed food with additives (methylcellulose, yeast extract, etc.). Soy and pea protein processing uses hexane extraction in some facilities. Rough estimate 0.2 µDALY.
  • Smetana et al. (2015): Meat alternatives — comparison of LCA — Journal of Cleaner Production

Ultra-processed food concerns separate from environmental toxicity. Hexane exposure primarily occupational.

Comparisons

Methodology

Based on University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems LCA, commissioned by Beyond Meat. Cradle-to-distribution assessment of a quarter-pound (113g) patty.

Sources