Beyond Meat’s Electric Trucks Will Make the Brand Even More Sustainable

Freight transit accounts for nearly 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and although plant-based food production is significantly more sustainable than animal agriculture, both industries contribute massive carbon emissions. Now, Beyond Meat is teaming up with freight technology company Einride to make its shipping networks and vehicles even more planet-friendly.

Beyond and Einride will work together to develop an electric shipping fleet, drastically reducing the carbon emissions stemming from its plant-based meat production. The partnership will initially introduce five Einride eclectic freight trucks within Beyond’s shipping network. Over the next five years, the two companies will add more eclectic trucks to the company’s shipping fleet, with the aim of improving the sustainability standards of food production and distribution at every level.

“Achieving a sustainable future requires collaboration and cooperation among brands from every industry and we’re thrilled to add Beyond Meat to our growing network of US companies committed to creating a clean and efficient supply chain,” General Manager of North America Einride’s Niklas Reinedahl said in a statement. “Working with Beyond Meat was a natural fit given our aligned efforts to offer actionable products rooted in creating a more sustainable future. By offering our services to help build a more intelligent shipping system for Beyond Meat, we’ll be able to reduce CO2 emissions.”

How Sustainable is Vegan Meat?

Beyond Meat commissioned a peer-reviewed study from the University of Michigan to measure the sustainability of its vegan meat compared to traditional beef products. The review found that Beyond Burger production uses 99 percent less water, 93 percent less land, and 46 percent less energy. By partnering with Einride, the company intends to improve its sustainability measures, especially regarding energy and transportation.

“At Beyond Meat we recognize the importance of not just focusing our sustainability efforts on our products, but incorporating this mindset across our business operations as well,” Director of Environment, Health, Safety at Beyond Meat Christopher Pimentel said in a statement. “We are committed to optimizing the journey our products take to reach consumers’ plates to make it more sustainable, and our partnership with Einride is one of many steps we are taking to make that a reality.”

Eating Plant-Based Can Save the Environment

This year, the United Nation released a report that claims that the climate crisis is here, but there’s still time to curb the negative consequences of greenhouse gas emissions. The third IPCC report claims that the world must cut methane emissions by 33 percent by 2030 to slow climate change and prevent worsening environmental conditions in the future. Cattle is the number one contributor to agricultural-related greenhouse gas emissions, according to UC Davis.

• Methane has 80 times more warming power than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years it reaches the atmosphere.
• Plant-based diets can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 61 percent
• Eating beef one to two times a week for a year contributes six to 30 times more missions than plant alternatives such as tofu.

Oatly’s Electric Trucks

Beyond Meat is not the first major plant-based company to introduce sustainable trucks to its fleet. In 2020, Oatly partnered with Einride to revolutionize its shipping fleet, saving 87 percent of CO2 emissions. This June, the two companies revealed their plans to reach 100 percent sustainable ground transportation by 2029. The new Freight Mobility Platform helped Oatly save 10,500 kg of carbon emissions compared to diesel within a single month.

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