Leonardo DiCaprio is continuing his crusade to save the environment. However, instead of focusing specifically on combating climate change or saving endangered species, both causes he has supported in the past, the actor is now turning his attention to plant-based food.
On Wednesday, September 26, the Oscar winner touted on both Instagram and Twitter that he is an investor in Beyond Meat, a company that produces plant-based products with meat-like taste and texture. “Beef is one of the most resource intensive foods in our diet. @beyondmeat is on a mission to take the animal out of the equation,” he wrote. “Their plant-based 1/4 lb. Beyond Burger uses 99 percent less water, 93 percent less land, generates 90 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and uses nearly 50 percent less energy than what it takes to produce a single 1/4 lb. U.S. beef burger.”
The Django Unchained star, 43, then added that he is “Proud to be an investor in the #futureofprotein.” Beyond Meat’s products, which are all 100 percent plant-based and sold at supermarkets and restaurants around the country, include the Beyond Burger, Beyond Sausage and Beyond Chicken Strips.
DiCaprio first invested in Beyond Meat in October 2017, and his involvement comes after his organization, The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, has given approximately $20 million to address the impact and causes of climate change.
“Leo is serious about climate change,” Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown told Fortune at the time of the actor’s initial investment. “He’s a really good ally for us.” Brown added that DiCaprio is “someone who genuinely believes in what we’re doing and wants to help grow it.”
Other investors in the California-based company include Bill Gates, Twitter cofounders Biz Stone and Evan Williams and a former McDonald’s CEO.
“Livestock production is a major contributor to carbon emissions,” DiCaprio has said. “Shifting from animal meat to the plant-based meats developed by Beyond Meat is one of the most powerful measures someone can take to reduce their impact on our climate.”
