Carbon Footprint Evaluation of Regenerative Grazing at White Oak Pastures ⋆ Savory Institute

Report

Carbon Footprint Evaluation of Regenerative Grazing at White Oak Pastures

Lifecycle Analysis by Quantis International

Quantis International

Key Takeaways

Quantis International, a widely-used environmental research firm, conducted a lifecycle analysis (LCA) on beef raised by Savory Hub, White Oak Pastures (WOP), to “account for the energy and environmental impacts of all stages of a product’s life cycle, such as [the] acquisition of raw materials, the production process, handling of waste byproducts, and more.”
The LCA analyzed greenhouse gasses, including enteric emissions from cattle, manure emissions, farm activities, slaughter and transport, and carbon sequestration through soil and plant matter.
Results demonstrated that a pound of protein from WOP sequestered 3.5 pounds of CO2, as compared to conventional beef which emitted 33 pounds of CO2 per pound of protein, or even Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat which emitted 3.5 pounds and 2 pounds of CO2 per pound of protein, respectively.

Summary

In line with conventional beef LCAs, the scope of study is only up to the point of slaughter of the animal to produce beef. Downstream aspects of packaging, shipment, retail, storage, and cooking are not considered. However, it is expected that comparisons to conventional beef are valid within this scope.