DUBAI, UAE, 11 December, 2023: With 2023 having been designated as the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, and Dubai’s imminent hosting of COP28, IFFCO is determined to remain stalwart in its efforts to contribute significantly to helping to transform the world’s ‘farm to fork’ food chain to a more healthy, nutritious and sustainable system. In support of this intention, IFFCO’s THRYVE™ is excited to announce the completion of the first ISO conformant Life Cycle Assessment Study (LCA) in the GCC region, comparing the plant-based meat and animal-based meat “Cradle-to-Gate” systems, specifically to evaluate the magnitude of potential environmental impacts, in which the key drivers are substantial savings in consumption of water, agricultural land occupation and primary energy demand.
The results of the assessment, which was carried out by a team of LCA practitioners at Sphera, a leading global provider of ESG performance and risk management software, data & consulting services, revealed that THRYVE™ 100% Plant-Based Beef-like meat saves 90% of CO2 equivalent emissions, twelve times less than animal beef, and THRYVE™ 100% Plant-Based Chicken saves 75% of CO2 equivalent emissions, which is four times less than poultry chicken [1].
As a thought and action leader in food system sustainability, THRYVE™, the region’s first Plant-Based Venture, is feeding new life into the world’s diet by providing balanced, varied and sustainable plant-based nutrition, making it desirable without compromising on local flavours and preferences, and now proven to be environmentally efficient to ISO conformant Life Cycle standards, ISO 14040/44.
Mr. Rizwan Ahmed, Executive Director – IFFCO Group, expressed delight at the LCA results, saying, “One of the most basic principles of sustainability is to nurture what we have been given, protecting it and passing it on in good condition to the next generations while actively giving back to nature. We are more than just custodians of our planet, we are its guardians, its sustainability champions. At THRYVE™, we are committed to maintaining a balanced symbiotic exchange between ourselves and the environment, sharing nutrients, oxygen, water, and much more, preserving resources it and passing them on to the next link of the ecosystem.”
Mr. Rizwan Ahmed added, “The results of this comprehensive study demonstrate the strong potential of a plant-based meat food system be more resilient and sustainable and help in meeting the targets of UN SDGs. By shifting to a diet that is plant-based, we can have a positive impact by reducing consumption of environmentally damaging goods. THRYVE™ is thus pioneering the transformation of our food system, contributing to achieving NET ZERO by 2030 and increasing both food security and resilience.
Valeria Krynetskaya, IFFCO’s Head of Plant-Based Venture, said that the core of THRYVE is a design of Cradle to Gate food system, which is addressing the pressing environmental challenges. ‘’The economic growth in its current definition is no longer sustainable as we have stretched our planetary boundaries too far. One-third of all greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to the global food system alone and it is the single largest driver of the transgression of planetary boundaries [2]. It is a call to re-examine our food system and diet for sustainability, health and food security. In Thryve, we are guided by nature-based principles in our food system design, bringing nature to the core of our business decisions. We rediscovered an ancient crop, Faba Bean with significant regenerative potential, healing soil through nitrogen fixation and saving water. We are transforming this climate-smart faba bean into faba-lous plant-based meat with local flavours of the Middle East, making it easily accessible and enjoyable in everyday diets. By pioneering this first GCC Life Cycle Assessment study, comparing the environmental impacts of animal-based and plant-based food systems, IFFCO and THRYVE™ are reaffirming the power of plants in paving a path to the future of the food system in the region.”
Dr. Rajesh Singh, Senior Director, Consulting at Sphera, said, “We were delighted to be able to work with IFFCO’s THRYVE on this vitally important project which led to the ISO conformant Life Cycle Assessment Study results. Through our data, consulting services and software as a service technology, Sphera has been collaborating with organizations around the world for more than 30 years in the areas of environment, health, safety and sustainability, operational risk management, supply chain risk management and product stewardship. Our assessment of IFFCO’s THRYVE™ 100% Plant-Based meat reveals that the Cradle to Gate chain leads to significant reductions in CO2 equivalent emissions, and we are looking forward to supporting the organization in their future endeavours in sustainability.”
THRYVE™ is the region’s first Plant-Based Meat Venture that is bringing the next generation of regenerative and healthy Plant-Based meat to the Middle East, inspired by local culture and traditions, nurtured with age-old wisdom and harvested with care for the new food system era.
[1] Dr Rajesh Sigh et al (2023). Comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of animal-based meat vs. THRYVE plant-based meat as per the ISO 14040/44 standards
[2] Francesco, N. et al. (2021, June 8). Greenhouse gas emissions from food systems: building the evidence base Retrieved from:
Greenhouse gas emissions from food systems: building the evidence base – IOPscience
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