Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Tuesday proposed the use of “alternative meat” as part of efforts to achieve a decarbonized society.

In the 2021 white paper on the environment, sound material-cycle society and biodiversity, the government stressed the need to reform lifestyles to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The white paper took up substitute meat products, such as those using soybeans and other plant-based materials, as an option for the first time, noting that they cause less CO2 emissions than meat during the manufacturing process.

The move comes after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared last October that Japan will seek to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Food “may cause environmental impacts, such as through CO2 emissions during the production, processing and disposal stages, and development of forest areas for use as farmland,” the white paper said. The production of meat especially causes high levels of CO2 emissions through the production and transport of feed, and the release of methane by livestock.

The report cited an increase in the number of restaurants and convenience stores offering alternative meat products.

“It is expected that alternative foods that look and feel like meat will be developed and become more familiar items,” it noted.

The white paper also emphasized the need to reduce carbon emissions related to the production, consumption and disposal of clothes.

It called on people to insulate their homes and use electricity generated from renewable energy sources.