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Meat consumption is here to stay, and as we transition to a more sustainable food system, from traditional to cellular agriculture, we must do our part. We admit that cultivated meat has a long way to go, and we are still years away from achieving truly sustainable operations on a mass-production scale. However, while we keep innovating in the lab, we are taking a goal-based approach to our sustainability, through ethical, innovative, and responsible business practices. On this journey, we can forge a path towards a greener and more compassionate food system for our planet, our people, and our animals.

We strive to align our operations with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

While cultivated meat is still nestled in the research and development stages, the future is bright for a sustainable food system. We work to achieve the following SDGs and make that transition ethically and responsibly.

UN SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Our Goal: We will contribute to building a world where we all have access to a sustainable and nutritious protein source, regardless of economic or social status.

Future strategies for action:

• Join research initiatives to develop nutritionally-rich and cost-effective cultivated proteins.
• Help strengthen global food security with accessible and nutritious products.
• Collaborate with NGOs to distribute nutritionally-fortified products to food-insecure populations worldwide.

UN SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Our Goal: We will help combat the spread of zoonotic diseases from our protein sources and produce cultivated meat free from animal cruelty, harmful chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones.

Future strategies for action:

• Enhance the nutritional profiles of our cultivated meat products to be fit for a well-rounded, healthy diet.
• Eliminate the use of harmful substances such as chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones in production.
• Partake in campaigns with consumers to educate on healthy and sustainable eating habits.

UN SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Our Goal: We will allocate significant resources towards innovating in sustainable food systems and build greener facilities for producing at scale.

Future strategies for action:

• Collaborate with research institutions and industry partners to foster sustainable food innovation systems.
• Work closely with industry players to resolve challenges in producing cultivated meat sustainably at scale.
• Build sustainable production facilities equipped with renewable energy.

UN SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Our Goal: We will source and dispose of all materials responsibly and ensure they are environmentally-friendly, ethically-produced, and from suppliers that align with our sustainability goals.

Future strategies for action:

• Ensure our production process is 100% cruelty-free.
• Incrementally move away from the use of fossil fuels in production.
• Minimize overall waste, recycle and reuse material inputs where possible, and responsibly dispose of non-recyclable wastes.
• Conduct sustainability reporting.
• Contract only with suppliers that abide by our Supplier Code of Conduct.

UN SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Our Goal: We will reduce operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and work towards carbon neutrality throughout the product life cycle and at production scale.

Future strategies for action:

• Set concrete targets for carbon neutrality and reducing in-house GHG emissions in our sustainability reporting.
• Conduct product Life Cycle Assessments at production scale.
• Move to source from suppliers that operate under climate-friendly business models.
• Participate in carbon-offsetting and GHG reduction initiatives throughout our supply chain for Scopes 1, 2 and 3.

UN SDG 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Our Goal: We will strive in the long run to return the land that livestock farming has taken, conduct responsible waste management, and ensure our production processes are safe for local ecosystems.

Future strategies for action:

• Foster innovation in sustainable agriculture to prevent further land resource depletion.
• Ensure our local production facilities do not harmfully pollute the surrounding environment.
• Reduce input and output wastes.
• Utilize animal-free and biodegradable materials in production.

Our Sustainability Framework

In line with our goals to meet the UN SDGs, we’ve also outlined some imperatives to ensure best practices in sustainability, through a holistic approach that encapsulates the following four pillars.

Environmental

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• Circular systems: We must give back what we take, in a responsible way. Above ground and below water, we must commit to reducing waste and ensure what we dispose of does not harm our planet. We must reduce, reuse, and recycle by-products where possible and dispose of non-recyclable waste materials in an ethical and responsible manner, to ensure the health and well-being of not only our people and animals, but the earth that provides us as well.
• Reducing our footprint: Cultivated meat production has room to grow in reducing energy consumption, and we are on that journey to innovate our production process and operate on a low-carbon, low-emissions scale. While we cannot decarbonize our value chain alone, we will strive to work with suppliers that share the same ethical and environmental values, push towards carbon neutrality in Scopes 1, 2 and 3, and collaborate with industry players to build greener facilities with lower impact.

Governance

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• Holding true to our purpose: We create sustainable future foods with innovative technologies. We are here to change the future of food to foster a more sustainable, secure food system globally. We stick to this goal by investing significantly into R&D to bring cultivated meat from the lab to the table more quickly, and to provide a product that is sustainably-made, accessible, and nutritious.
• Transparency: We adhere to strict food safety regulations and guidelines in our operating countries to ensure our products are free from harmful substances and held to the highest quality standards. Our consumers can enjoy our products with peace of mind.

Social Well-being

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• Well-being for us: We believe that everyone should have access to a healthy and nourishing meal on the table. We will create nutritionally-rich and fulfilling cultivated meat products, and we will strive to ensure that food-insecure populations will have access to cultivated foods for a nutritious diet.
• Well-being for animals: We ultimately envision a food system that is cruelty-free, where all life in the process is cared for and protected from harm. As we innovate to create a product that eliminates the need for animal slaughter, we will ensure that all our inputs and production methods take the welfare of animals into account, through safe and ethical practices.

Economic

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• Economic growth: There is immense opportunity for cultivated meat in technological advancement, industry growth, and high-skilled job creation. Through cutting-edge biotechnologies, we can advance the transition towards a more stable and secure food system, with cultivated proteins reaching price parity and accessibility with conventional meat. As the alternative protein industry expands its reach throughout developed and into developing regions in the world, it opens an avenue for high-skilled job creation, providing opportunities for local and national economies to experience growth within the food sector.