Terrestrial biodiversity impacts of replacing beef with alternative-protein burger patties across ten European Union Countries

Zhang, Y., Rasul, K., Dorber, M., Stadler, K., Hertwich, E., & Verones, F. (2026). Terrestrial biodiversity impacts of replacing beef with alternative-protein burger patties across ten European Union Countries. Journal of Industrial Ecology 10.1007/s44498-026-00120-1.

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Abstract

Alternative-protein patties are increasingly promoted for their lower environmental footprint, yet their impacts on terrestrial biodiversity remain poorly understood. This study compares conventional beef patties with four alternatives — pea, soy, insect, and mycoprotein across ten selected countries. By integrating input–output models with GLAM Life Cycle Impact Assessment with increased impact pathway coverage, this study quantified terrestrial biodiversity impacts driven by land occupation and climate change embedded in food supply chains. Results show that land occupation dominates, accounting for over 96% of the total terrestrial biodiversity impacts. Among the alternative-protein patties, soy patties generally perform the best across the ten countries. Replacing beef with the soy patties in food service could reduce biodiversity impacts by 71–97% per patty and correspond to a 3.6–4.9% reduction in national biodiversity loss associated with beef across the ten countries. Pea and mycoprotein patties exhibit the highest impacts, driven predominantly by coconut oil sourced from biodiversity-sensitive countries, notably the Philippines and Indonesia. In Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland, pea patties’ biodiversity impacts even exceed those of beef patties. These findings underscore the dominant role of sourcing from biodiversity-sensitive regions and highlight the importance of substituting high-impact ingredients (e.g., coconut oil) or shifting ingredient sourcing away from high biodiversity-sensitive regions.

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