Planetarians Brings Plant-Based Meat to COP28 UAE
November 30, 2023 - 3 min read
Sustainable proteins from upcycled waste streams featured as Climate Innovation
San Francisco, Calif., November 30, 2003 – Planetarians, a waste-to-food climate tech company, announced today it will bring its nutritious and affordable meats to COP28 UAE at Expo City Dubai, November 30-December 12, to showcase the potential of creating sustainable proteins from industrial and commercial waste/side streams.
Planetarians co-founder and CEO Aleh Manchuliantsau has been invited to participate in a fireside chat “Transforming Waste into Treasure” during the Climate Innovation Forum, hosted by the COP28 Presidency and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, on December 1 at 2:00 p.m. local time.
Planetarians will also have a booth in the Tech and Innovation Hub, which features around 100 startups creating sustainable solutions to the climate crisis, during the conference’s second week (December 8-12).
Company executives are planning meetings with attendees representing governments, NGOs and private-sector businesses. Planetarians has attracted interest from breweries in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria and Belgium to build co-located manufacturing facilities that leverage breweries’ spent yeast, and is actively seeking partnership opportunities in those regions.
“We appreciate COP28 organizers for putting a stronger focus on food and agriculture systems as a contributor to global climate change, and for inviting us to participate in the dialogue at a meaningful level,” said Manchuliantsau. “With one-sixth of greenhouse gas emissions a result of food production, and food waste a key contributor, it’s imperative to look at agriculture as a closed-loop system.”
As nations grapple with ways to sustainably feed a growing population, Planetarians offers an alternative to growing more and more crops on an already burdened planet. Its patented technology transforms spent yeast from commercial fermentation such as beer brewing, and plant solids that remain after vegetable oil extraction, into affordable, clean-label, nutritious, delicious sustainable protein. By upcycling waste streams and side streams, Planetarians requires far fewer resources than other alt-proteins—and has a dramatically lower climate impact than beef, chicken or other animal proteins.
Research and analytics firm IAMECON calculated that Planetarians meat has a carbon footprint 50 times better than animal meat and nine times better than competing plant-based meats thanks to its use of existing ingredients, which results in far lower water and power consumption. At pilot scale, Planetarians can produce its meats at one-tenth the cost of beef.
Planetarians Savory Strips have the flavor and chewy texture of meat, but with a far better health profile: 24 grams of protein—more than ground beef—with the fiber of an apple and zero fat. Savory Strips have a 72% acceptance rate in school lunches, demonstrating a wider appeal beyond meat avoiders.
Established in 1994, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) now has nearly 200 member countries or Parties to the Convention. The Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP) gathers nations for climate change. COP28 UAE, the 28th meeting of member countries, is expected to attract more than 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private-sector representatives, academics, experts, youth and non-state actors.
About Planetarians
Planetarians, founded in 2013, produces a patented, whole ingredient, clean-label better-for-you alternative protein products made with just two main ingredients and a carbon footprint 9x better than other leading plant-based meats. Planetarians wholesales to schools, senior housing, and other institutional foodservice programs, as well as to retail grocers for private-label products. The waste-to-food climate tech company was co-founded by Aleh Manchuliantsau, Anastasia Tkacheva and Max Barnthouse; investors include Mindrock, Traction Fund, Techstars, SOSV, and ZX Ventures, the corporate venture arm of AB InBev, the world’s leading beer brewer. Planetarians is headquartered in San Francisco and operates a pilot facility in Hayward, Calif. For more information visit https://www.planetarians.com.
