A recent S&P Global Market Intelligence Trucost analysis found that Beyond Meat Inc., the maker of plant-based meat alternatives, has not disclosed the full extent of its environmental impacts. This includes the amount of greenhouse gases emitted or the volume of water discharged.
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Beyond Meat Has "0" Disclosure Of Environmental Impacts
Key insights from the analysis include:
- Beyond Meat’s weighted environmental disclosure ratio, which shows what percentage of its environmental impacts it discloses, is 0, according to the most recent data for all of 2018.
- Despite larger companies usually emitting more pollutants, they tend to have higher disclosure ratios.
- Tyson Foods Inc. received a disclosure ratio of 98% for 2018, and Hormel Foods Corp. received a disclosure ratio of 99%.
- Both companies have a ratio of 100% for greenhouse gas emissions.
- Although Beyond Meat has published a study showing that plant-based meats generally take fewer resources to produce, the analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan's Center for Sustainable Systems does not comment on its footprint for the company as a whole.
Background: Trucost, a part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, is a leader in carbon and environmental data and risk analysis. The unit assesses risks relating to climate change, natural resource constraints, and broader environmental, social, and governance factors. It was acquired by S&P Global in 2016.
Beyond Meat Now Starting Carbon-Footprint Assessment
A spokesperson for Beyond Meat told S&P Global Market Intelligence that the company "is starting the process of conducting a carbon-footprint assessment aimed at identifying opportunities to strengthen our environmental commitment and further reduce our impact." The company also pointed to a 2018 analysis showing that manufacturing a single Beyond Burger required substantially less water, greenhouse gases and energy than a quarter-pound beef burger. That study, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan's Center for Sustainable Systems, did not address the company's broader disclosures.
The study suggested that plant-based meats generally take fewer resources to produce, largely because they avoid resource-intensive inputs such as water and feed for animals
Read the full article here by S&P Global Market Intelligence
