The insect farming industry has long positioned itself as the definitive solution to the climate crisis. The narrative is attractive: a circular economy champion that turns waste into high-quality sustainable protein.
However, recent scientific scrutiny suggests that this promise is not always matched by reality.
A critical review by Biteau et al. (2025) argues that the environmental benefits of the sector have been significantly overstated. For industry leaders, this should not be viewed as an attack but as a necessary correction.
The sustainability of insect farming is not intrinsic. It is conditional. To understand the true impact of the Black Soldier Fly, we must move beyond marketing slogans and interrogate the operational data.
The Factory Farming Paradox
The critique leveled at the industry is grounded in a specific reality: the high-intensity industrial model. When insect farming replicates the logic of traditional factory farming, the environmental mathematics often fail.
In scenarios prevalent across Northern Europe, facilities are frequently powered by fossil-heavy grid electricity to maintain tropical temperatures. Furthermore, to guarantee yield consistency, many operators rely on purpose-grown grains rather than waste.
In this specific context, the carbon footprint of insect protein can exceed that of traditional soy or fishmeal.
This creates a paradox where a solution designed to fix the food system ends up replicating its inefficiencies. If insects compete with livestock for primary crops, the argument for bioconversion collapses.
The Blind Spots in Life Cycle Assessments
While the critique of energy-intensive systems is valid, the data driving these negative conclusions often suffers from narrow system boundaries. Most Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) treat insect protein, soy, and fishmeal as isolated products, ignoring the broader dynamics of the global food system.
Current modelling frequently overlooks two critical factors.
1. Avoided Land-Use Change
Soy cultivation is a primary driver of deforestation. When insect protein displaces soy in animal feed, it theoretically alleviates pressure on land conversion. Most LCAs do not credit insect farms for this avoided deforestation, leading to a significant underestimation of their positive impact on biodiversity.
2. Waste Diversion Credits
The Black Soldier Fly is fundamentally a waste management tool. When larvae consume organic waste, they divert it from landfill. This prevents the release of methane, a greenhouse gas with a warming potential far greater than CO2.
When researchers ignore the emissions prevented by insect waste management, they miss the primary mechanism of the industry’s environmental value.
The Deciding Factor: Feedstock
The distinction between a climate solution and greenwashing rests almost entirely on feedstock selection.
The Resource-Intensive Model: Farms using soy-based meal or virgin grains function as protein converters with high energy overheads. The sustainability claims in this model are weak.
The Waste-Valorisation Model: Farms utilizing true organic waste, agricultural by-products, or pre-consumer food waste create value from a liability.
In the latter model, the insects effectively gain a ‘negative’ carbon score. They are actively solving a pollution problem while producing sustainable protein. This is why Flybox® prioritises technology that facilitates the processing of diverse waste streams rather than focusing solely on protein output.
Efficiency vs. Intensity: A Global Perspective
The assertion that benefits are “overstated” is largely a critique of the capital-intensive models found in the Global North. These systems prioritise yield over energy efficiency.
Conversely, operations in the Global South often demonstrate the industry’s true potential. By relying on ambient heat, solar drying, and local waste streams, these decentralised systems achieve high levels of circularity with minimal energy input.
The challenge for the UK and European markets is to replicate this efficiency. We must move away from the “factory first” mentality and adopt modular, low-energy technologies that prioritise waste valorisation.
Conclusion
Black Soldier Fly protein is not a silver bullet. It is a tool, and like any tool, its effectiveness depends on how it is used. The industry must accept that generic claims of sustainability are no longer sufficient. We need transparent data that accounts for energy sources, avoided land use, and most critically, feedstock origin.
For a comprehensive breakdown of the data and methodology, watch our full deep dive on Youtube.
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