Browsing by Subject "resurssitehokkuus"

Meat is an important source of protein, but the negative environmental impact of meat production is significant. Discussion around meat consumption is often heated, and plant-based protein products are primarily seen as an option to lower the environmental impact of a diet. The production processes for different kinds of meats vary notable. The differences in environmental impacts of diverse production animal species can be explained by three factors: feed conversion ratio, the differences in monogastric and ruminant digestive systems and differences in reproduction traits. Choosing broiler instead of red meat can mitigate the environmental impact of a diet. Environmental impacts of the different meat production processes have been analysed using Life Cycle Assessment. Life Cycle Assessment investigates the use of resources and the green house gas emissions of a livestock production process to evaluate its climate-friendliness. Corporate Social Responsibility is also used as a pivotal theory in this research. The results of Life Cycle Assessment can be used to include sustainability in a company’s strategy, or in communication about Corporate Social Responsibility. The goal of the thesis was to investigate how aware and interested Nordic 24-30-year-old young adults are about the environmental impacts of meat production. Nordic young adults were chosen as the target group, because the Nordic countries are generally seen as the forerunners of sustainability. Young adults were selected because they represent the future way of consuming. The goal of the thesis was to answer following questions: 1. Do the Nordic young consumers feel the need to reduce meat consumption for climate reasons? 2. Do the Nordic young consumers find broiler an appealing source of protein? Four young consumers were interviewed from three different countries: Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. Although the participants of the study showed awareness and knowledge of the negative environmental impacts of meat production, only three of them had made changes to their diet for environmental reasons. Nine of the 12 interviewees supposed that broiler is more environmentally friendly than red meat. Animal welfare issues in broiler production processes lowered the interest towards broiler as a protein source. All four Danish interviewees avoided conventional broiler because of the welfare issues. The upsides of broiler as a source of protein are low fat content, affordable price, and good taste. The living conditions and slaughter process of broilers have great deficiencies, which decreased its appeal amongst the young consumers.