Research and references about pets, climate and insects

“As pet ownership increases, and trends continue in pet food toward higher content and quality of meat, globally, pet ownership will compound the environmental impacts of human dietary choices.”

Gregory S. Okin
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

Research summary

At petgood we are committed to leave no pawprints behind; sustainability is one of our core philosophies. There is a growing global demand for consumable protein sources by both humans and animals. Insects represent a highly sustainable protein source, as they have a favourable feed conversion efficiency, and can be reared on organic side streams (i.e. organic plant and grain waste products). They produce 94% less greenhouse emissions, and utilize 93% less land, 92% less feed and 80% less water in comparison to beef. This makes our insect-based dog food a sustainable and healthy alternative for our companion animals.

Sustainability assessment of the insect meal used in our feed

Smetana et al (2019) Sustainable use of Hermetica Illucens insect biomass for feed and food: Attributional and consequential life cycle assessment.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344919300515

Research on the environmental impact of pets

Okin et al. (2017). Environmental impacts of food consumption by dogs and cats:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181301

Acuff et al. (2021). Sustainability and pet food. Small Animal Nutrition.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195561621000206?via%3Dihub

Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) details available options for sustainable protein sourcing.
https://www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/13489-psc-details-available-options-for-sustainable-protein-sourcing

Alexander et al. (2020). The global environmental paw print of pet food. Global Environmental Change. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378020307366?via%3Dihub

Pedrinelli et al. (2022). Environmental impact of diets for dogs and cats. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-22631-0

Newspaper articles on the environmental impact of pets

Adelaide Now. Not owning a dog equivalent to becoming vegetarian.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/pet-carbon-emissions-not-owning-dog-equivalent-to-being-vegetarian/news-story/c6e564af02285ab7d6d57c28a1d3843b

The Guardian. Pet food is an environmental disaster.
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/jun/26/pet-food-is-an-environmental-disaster-are-vegan-dogs-the-answer

Sveriges Radio. Hundarnas köttdiet – en klimatbov. Markus Langeland från SLU kommenterar:
https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/7135515 (Swedish)

Sveriges Natur. Hundar och katter står för stora klimatutsläpp:
https://www.sverigesnatur.org/aktuellt/hundar-och-katter-star-stora-klimatutslapp/ (Swedish)

Time. A New Study Ranks the Climate Pawprint of Different Types of Pet Food
https://time.com/6234444/pet-food-climate-impact/

Research on sustainability and potential of insects as food and feed

Huis, A. (2013) Potential of Insects as Food and Feed in Assuring Food Security. Annual Review of Entomology:
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-120811-153704

Parodi et al. (2018) The potential of future foods for sustainable and healthy diets:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0189-7

Mazac et al. (2022). Incorporation of novel foods in European diets can reduce global warming potential, water use and land use by over 80%. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00489-9