CARBON FOOTPRINT OF HESBURGER PRODUCTS

In 2024, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) assessed the carbon footprints (CO2e) of selected Hesburger products. The goal was to evaluate the climate impact of the following products:

• Double Burger
• VEKE® Cheese Veggie Burger
• VEKE® Double Veggie Burger
• VEKE® Soy Tortilla
• VEKE® Soy Finger servings

The study evaluated the most common greenhouse gases generated at different stages of product supply chains – carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) – which were converted into carbon dioxide equivalent kilograms per product.

• The carbon footprint was calculated using a simplified life cycle assessment (LCA), taking into account raw materials, land use and land use changes, storage, transportation, restaurant energy consumption, and product waste.
• The entire supply chain of individual raw materials was not analyzed in detail.
• Consumer use was excluded from the assessment.
• The calculation was based on research data, databases, and information provided by Hesburger and its suppliers.
• The precautionary principle was applied to avoid underestimating climate impacts.
• It cannot be guaranteed that all life cycle phases were fully included, as the study relied on several literature sources with system boundaries that were not always clearly reported.
  
  

Results

The primary production of raw materials and the electricity consumption of restaurants were identified as the main sources of carbon footprints (except for the Double Burger). Transportation and storage in Kaarina had a very minor impact on the carbon footprint of all products. For the Double Burger, land use and land use changes had a significant impact, which was also relevant for the VEKE® Cheese Veggie Burger and the VEKE® Double Veggie Burger.