Sustainable Pet Diets: A Leading Effective Altruism Issue

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Animal Welfare Studies
• Food Security

Background:

• Growing concerns over animal welfare and environmental impact are driving demand for sustainable pet food alternatives.
• Traditional pet food relies heavily on animal-derived ingredients, contributing significantly to global resource consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effective altruism case for sustainable pet food options, focusing on scale, neglectedness, and tractability.
• To quantify the potential impact of transitioning companion animals to plant-based diets.

Main Methods:

• Analysis using the scale, neglectedness, and tractability framework.
• Estimation of farmed animal and land use impacts associated with current pet food consumption.
• Assessment of potential benefits of vegan pet diets on animal welfare, environment, and food security.

Main Results:

• Companion animals consume a substantial portion of farmed land animals globally (9% in 2018).
• A global shift to vegan pet diets could spare billions of animals, free up landmass equivalent to Mexico, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly.
• The issue of sustainable pet food is highly neglected in terms of funding and research.

Conclusions:

• Sustainable pet diets present a high-impact, overlooked opportunity to reduce animal suffering and environmental harm.
• The transition to vegan pet diets is tractable, with a significant percentage of guardians open to the idea.
• Widespread adoption of sustainable pet food can contribute to improved global food security and reduced ecological footprint.